Reading the Chronicles of Nick
by Blue Cinder
Summary: Nick gets a surprise from Ambrose, books. And 5 of them. They are about his life. How will everyone be able to handle all the new found secrets? Rated T for language and maybe some.. Ash/Nick love cos I'm into that. And maybe some adults might realize things *cough* Nick's parents *cough*
1. Chapter 1

You would think Nick would be use to working at Kyrian's house by now, but how grand it was still got to him. He didn't understand how Kyrian could live here by himself. It was true that Kyrian wasn't here most of the time, he was busy with his Dark Hunter business.

Nick was just finishing up washing the cars, which he still felt unworthy doing. When Ambrose suddenly appeared at his desk.

"Ambrose?! What are you doing?! What if Rosa sees you?!" Nick couldn't help but flip out at the thought of anybody seeing his older self.

"Nick! Just listen to me and look at these," out of his coat Ambrose pulled out 5 books.

Nick scanned the cover, "The Chronicles of Nick."

His eyes widened. What?...

"Ambrose, what is this?!" Now Nick was worried. How was this possible.

"Listen Nick, the writer is a demon. She somehow got into your head through your whole experience. We have to read these. This is your life and your thoughts, even some of Kody, Caleb, and Adrian's point of view is in them. I think mine too, but Nick we have to figure this out," Ambrose explained.

Nick couldn't believe this. His life in a book! By a demon. Why couldn't his life be simplier? None of this would have happened. Did he even want to listen to his life? His mistakes and regrets. He had to. They had to figure this out.

"Ok. We have to read it."

"Good because in the living room I've already gathered some people," Ambrose replied casually.

Nick's eyes widened and his mouth opened, "Why?! Who?!"

"Oh just Caleb, Kyrian, Ash, Kody, Death and his minion, Bubba, Mark, Aunt Mennie, and your parents."

Nick glared at the mention of Adrian.

"Why is Adrian here?" He was enraged, but luckily Death's training had been helping him control his demon.

"He needs to know, Nick. We can do this," Nick always forgot Ambrose hated Adrian as much as he did.

"Ok, let's get this over with."

Nick walked out of his office and into Kyrian's living room. Everyone was sitting around looking confused as ever.

"Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier! You better tell me why I am here right now! I have a job to get to!" His mother, Cherise, yelled at Nick. She could never stop embarrassing him.

"Seriously Kid, I have places to be," Ash stated, casually looking at his nails.

"Look guys, first this is Ambrose. A tutor at school," Caleb couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something familiar about Ambrose.

"Listen here punk, I want to get out of here and away from you," Adrian pointed a finger at him though he stole glances at Cherise.

"Just listen to me, Adrian!" Nick shouted, surprising everyone.

Adrian was angry, but decided to hear the kid out. Maybe even talk to Cherise.. What was he thinking?

Ambrose handed Nick the books, "These books were made about my life and all of you are in it. There may be surprises to some of you and when we get there, I'll explain."

He couldn't help but stare at his loving mother because he didn't want her interrupting.

"Ok," Ambrose and Nick found seats. Nick on the floor and Ambrose next to Caleb.

"I'll ready first," Nick lifted the one titled Infinity.

**Infinity**

**Free will. **

**Some have called it the greatest gift bestowed on humanity. It is our ability to control what happens to us-**

"Wow Nick, I didn't know you were so deep," Caleb smirked.

"Hey! He can be a sensitive guy," Kody defended him.

"Not helping much, Kody," Nick mumbled, his cheeks burning red.

"Anyways!" Ambrose shouted.

"Right," Nick focused on the book.

**Control what happens to us and exactly how it happens. We are the masters of our fate and no one can foist their will on us unless we allow it. **

**Others say free will is a crap myth. **

Nick's mom raised an eyebrow at his language.

"Sorry, Ma," Nick mumbled.

**We have a preordained destiny and no matter what we do or how hard we fight it, life will happen to us exactly as it's meant to happen. We are only pawns to a higher power that our meager human brains can't even begin to understand or comprehend.**

"Here we thought Nick was stupid! But he is a poet in disguise," Bubba and Mark laughed.

"You listen here Bubba! My Nicky is a smart boy and I will not have you bad mouth him," Cherise glared at them.

Bubba and Mark quickly composed themselves and mumbled their apologizes. Adrian couldn't help but give a small smile as his little Cher became aggressive.

**My best bud, Acheron-**

"Aw, Nick. If I would have known you were revealing your undying love for me, I would have gotten you something," Ash said, sarcastically.

"Hey! I don't remember thinking this!" Nick said, very embarrassed.

**My best bud, Acheron, once explained it to me like this. Destiny is a freight train rolling along on a set course that only conductors know. When we get to the railroad crossing in our car, we can choose to stop and wait for the train to pass us by, or try to pull out in front of it and beat that bad boy across. **

**That choice is our free will. **

"Wow, I am extremely gifted at teaching smart-mouthed kids the deeper meaning of life," Ash, once again, interrupted

"Guys! Come on! This is barely the prologue! Stop interrupting," Nick said.

Everyone mumbled their 'fines' and let Nick continue.

**If we choose to rush ahead, the car we're in might stall on the tracks. We can then choose to try and start the car or wait for the train to plow into us. Or we can get out to run, and fight the destiny of the train slamming into us and killing us where we stand. If we choose to run, our foot could get caught in the tracks or we could slip and fall. **

**We could even say to ourselves, "there's no way I'm dumb enough to fight the train" and hang back to safely wait. Then the next thing we know, a truck rams us from behind, throwing us straight into the train's path. **

**If it is our destiny to be hit by the train, we will be hit by the train. The only thing we can change is how the train turns us into hamburger.**

The corner of Adrian's mouth twitched up as he thought of the dark mind his offspring was gifted with. He wondered what his demon whispered to him when it wanted to have a little fun.

**I, personally, don't believe in this crap. I say **_**I **_**control my destiny and my life. **

**No, nothing controls me. **

**Ever. **

**I am what I have become because of the interference and secrets of one creature. Had things been done differently, my life would have been a whole other enchilada. **

Soft chuckles were sounded around the room.

"Thank you everyone. I am very hilarious," Nick said, cheekily.

**I would not be where I am today and I would have had a life worth living instead of the nightmare my life has been. **

Nick and his mother were both confused. Nick thought his life was going pretty good at the moment and he loved it. His mother thought she was giving him the best life possible. It suddenly dawned on Nick that these were Ambrose's thought.

**But no, by keeping his deepest secrets, my best friend betrayed me and turned me into the darkness I have come to embrace. **

Caleb couldn't help, but think of himself. What if he would betray Nick in the future? The kid had actually become to grow on him.

Ash thought maybe it was him. If any has a deep, dark secret here it was him. He liked the kid, he would never. Or would he?

**Our fates and destinies were mashed together by a freak event that happened when I was a kid, and I curse the day I ever called..**

Nick stopped at the name. No. That was his friend. He wouldn't, couldn't.

**I curse the day I ever called Acheron Parthenopaeus my friend. **

Nick looked sadly at Ash. He couldn't believe his best friend was going to turn on him. Nick felt like he couldn't trust anymore.

Caleb gave a sigh of relief, when he thought about it he couldn't betray Nick.

Ash was actually hurt. That kid was by far the most annoying, but he cared at him. In his own special Ash way.

**I am Nick Gautier. **

**And this is my life and how things should have been...**

"That's it. Who wants to read now?" Nick said.

"I will," Ash, volunteered bravely. Cherise glared at him, as he grabbed the book from Nick.


	2. Chapter 2

**"I am a socially awkward man." **

Everyone burst into laughter, except Adrian. Hearing that from Ash's monotone voice made it even funnier than it would have been.

**"Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier! You watch your language!"**

Cherise clapped and smiled, "That's me everyone!"

**Nick sighed at his mother's sharp tone as he stood in their tiny kitchen looking down at the bright orange Hawaiian shirt. The color and style were bad enough. The fact it was covered in l-a-r-g-e pink, gray, and white trout (or were they salmon?) was even worse. **

"Seriously Nick, that's what you were focusing on?" Caleb laughed at him.

"Hey! I just wanted to be right! I mean come on it matters," Nick said, seriously.

**"Mom, I can't wear this to school. It's..." -he paused to think real hard of a word that wouldn't get him grounded for life-"hideous. If anyone sees me in this, I'll be an outcast relegated to the loser corner of the cafeteria." **

"Sounds about right," Kody and Caleb agreed, which hardly ever happened.

Cher sighed at the times when she put Nick through some horrible things.

**As always, she scoffed at his protest. **

Again she sighed, she use to put Nicky through hell sometimes.

**"Oh, shush. There's nothing wrong with that shirt. Wanda told me at the Goodwill store that it came in from one of those big mansions down in the Garden District. That shirt belonged to the son of a fine upstanding man and since that's what I'm raising you to be..." **

"Nick, honey, I have something to tell you," She said softly.

"What's wrong, Ma?" she looked stressed and Nick couldn't help, but be worried.

"That shirt... It wasn't from the Garden District. I lied to maybe get you to like it better," she confessed after 3 years.

Everyone burst into laughter. That wasn't what everyone expected. "I think it's ok, Ma."

**Nick ground his teeth. "I'd rather be a delinquent no one picks on." **

Adrian's lips formed a ghost smile again, as he heard the evil or bad in his child. It gave him joy to think one day this kid will end the world.

**She let out a deep sound of aggravation as she paused while flipping bacon. "No one's going to pick on you, Nicky. The school has a strict no-bullying policy." **

"Ms.G," Caleb said, looking at Nick's mom, "I'm sorry, but the school really doesn't."

**Yeah, right. That's wasn't worth the "contract" paper it was written on. Especially since the bullies were illiterate idiots who couldn't read it anyway. **

Caleb let out a snort, "That is so true. Man, Nick you just know how things go."

"It's a gift, honey."

"Nick, I love you, but come on we're in public," Caleb smiled at him.

Everyone just stared at them and their romantic bro moment.

"Nick, honey, something you want to tell me," his mother said, gently. Nicks cheeks were flaming as he shook his head.

At least Nick didn't think so. He stole a glance at Ash and couldn't help but feel hurt by him. He wasn't sure if there was something he wanted to tell his mom.

**Jeez. Why wouldn't she listen to him? It wasn't like he wasn't the one going into the lion's den everyday and having to traverse the brutality of high school landmines. Honestly, he was sick of it and there was nothing he could do.**

"Nicky, I'm so sorry," his mother said, softly.

"Ma, it's ok. That was a long time ago."

**He was a massive loser dork and no one at school ever let him forget that. Not the teachers, the principal, and especially not the other students. **

**Why can't I flash forward and bypass this whole high school nightmare? **

**Because his mom wouldn't let him. **

"Damn right I won't let you boy," his mother smiled at him.

**Only hoodlums dropped out of school and she didn't work as hard as she did to raise up another piece of worthless scum- it was harped-on litany permanently carved into his brain. It ranked right up there with: **

**"Be a good boy, Nicky. Graduate. Go to college. Get a good job. Marry a good girl. Have lots of grandbabies and never miss a holy day of obligation at church." **

The words "Marry a good girl" rang in Ash's ears. Girls.. Nick liked girls. That was a statement. Ash knew that but he always held onto the slight shred of hope Nick didn't know yet.

**His mom had already road-mapped his entire future with no diversions or pit stops allowed. **

"You really weren't kidding, Nick. Your mom is very strict," Kody mumbled.

"Why would I lie?" Nick snapped. He hadn't meant to, but she always made him angry at times.

Ash smiled, just a little, he enjoyed knowing they would never be again.

**But at the end of the day, he loved his mom and appreciated everything she did for him. **

"Aw baby. I love you too. And I'm so sorry for all the times I didn't listen," Cher's eyes filled with tears, but Mennie was there to comfort her.

Seeing his Cherise cry was by far the worst thing Adrian could ever look it. He had to turn away before he showed some type of emotion and made everyone in that room think he was weak.

**Except for this whole "Do what I say, Nicky. I'm not listening to you because I know better" thing she said all the time. **

**He wasn't stupid and he wasn't a troublemaker. She had no idea what he went through at school, and every time he tried to explain it, she refused to listen. It was so frustrating. **

"Nicky-" Cher began, but Adrian cut her off, "He knows Cherise. Just be quiet."

"Don't talk to my mother," Nick said, gritting his teeth and standing at his full height.

Everyone knew Nick was no match for Adrian and it made Ash worry that the kid would try something stupid. Luckily Nick simmered down and took a seat again.

**Gah, can't I catch swine flu or something?**

"Nick, that is just reckless even for you," Death said, though nobody else seemed to notice.

Nick suppressed a groan as he realized that he would just be sassed by Death all series long. Nobody else would understand the horrible bullying he would get.

**Just for the next four years until he was able to graduate and move on to a life that didn't include constant humiliation? After all, the swine flu had killed millions of people in 1918 and several more during outbreaks in the seventies and eighties. Was it too much to ask that another mutant strain of it incapacitate him for a few years? **

"Hmm, Nick, you might be on to something," Caleb said, thinking of the countless possibilities.

"Nick is a genius! You've been holding out on us, boy!" Mark said, seriously.

"Seriously, we could've been using you all these years," Bubba agreed him him.

"Guys, let's not get into this now. I mean there has been reasons I've been holding out on you. I didn't want to be sitting in the swamp all night, covered in duck pee," Nick sassed.

**Maybe a good bout of parvo...**

**You're not a dog, Nick. **

"That is arguable, Gautier," Death smiled.

**True, no dog would be caught dead wearing this shirt. Whizzing on it would be another matter...**

**Sighing in useless angst, he looked down at the crap shirt he wanted desperately to burn. **

"Nick, don't be so unappreciative," his mother scolded him.

Nick made a face at her, but didn't say anything back.

**Okay, fine. He'd do what he always did whenever his mom made him look like a flaming moron. **

**He'd own it. **

**I don't want to own this. I look epically stupid. **

**Man up, Nick. You can take it, You've taken a lot worse.**

**Yeah, all right. Fine. Let them laugh. He couldn't stop that anyway. If it wasn't the shirt, they'd humiliate him over something else. His shoes. His haircut. And if all else failed, they'd insult his name. Nick the dick, or dickless Nicholas. **

Cherise frowned at this. She always thought she was living Nick with in best possible care.

"It's true, Ms. G. No matter what, he could wear my clothes and still get made fun of," Caleb said, looking at her with sad eyes.

**Didn't matter what he said or did, those who mocked would mock anything. Some people were just wired wrong and they couldn't live unless they were making other people suffer. **

**His Aunt Menyara always said no one could make him feel inferior unless he allowed them to. **

"Nick, how nice of you to introduce me with a quote," Aunt Mennie smiled at him.

"Anything for you Mennie," he smiled back.

**Problem was, he allowed it a lot more than he wanted to. **

**His mom set a chipped blue plate on the side of the rusted-out stove. "Sit down, baby, and eat something. I was reading in a magazine that someone left at the club that kids score much higher on tests and do a lot better in school whenever they have breakfast." She smiled and held the package of bacon up for him to see. "And look. It's not expired this time." **

**He laughed at something that really wasn't funny.**

"You don't think I'm funny?" His mother said, offended.

"You are! In your own special way."

She smiled at him, "Nice save."

**One of the guys who came into his mom's club was a local grocer who would give them meat sometimes when it expired since all the guy did was throw it out anyway. **

**"As long as we eat it quick, it won't make us sick." **

**Another litany he hated. **

**Picking up the crispy bacon, he glanced around the tiny condo they called home.**

"God damn, Nick, you have so many thoughts. You haven't even left yet," Ash complained.

"Well, I'm sorry for being so intellectual," Nick said, cheekily.

Ash loved his sass. It just made him genuinely happy and he loved how Nick could handle his own.

**It was one of four that had been carved out of an old run-down house. Made up of three small room- his mom's bedroom, and the bathroom- it wasn't much, but it was theirs and his mom was proud of it, so he tried to be proud too. **

**Most days.**

**He winced as he looked at his corner where his mom had strung up dark blue blankets to make a room for him on his last birthday. His clothes were kept in an old laundry basket on the floor, set next to his mattress that was covered with Star Wars sheets he'd had since he was nine- another present his mom had picked up at a yard sale.**

Caleb noted that that was quite unsanitary, but didn't say anything because he knew how things were for Nick during this time.

**"One day, Mom, I'm going to buy us a really nice house." With really nice stuff in it. **

**She smiled, but her eyes said she didn't believe a word he spoke. "I know you will, baby. Now eat up and get to school. I don't want you dropping out like me." She paused as a hurt look flitted across her face. "You can see exactly what that gets you."**

"It gets you a wonderful child," Cher said, softly. Stroking at what little hair she could reach on Nick's head, since he was pretty far away.

**Guilt cut through him. He was the reason his mom had dropped out of school. As soon as her parents had learned she was pregnant, they'd offer her one choice. **

**Give up the baby or give up her nice home in Kenner, her education, and her family. **

**For reasons he still didn't understand, she'd chosen him.**

Ash tried to a world without Nick and it seemed dull. It wasn't a world Ash wanted to live in.

**It was something Nick never let himself forget. But one day he was going to get all that back for her. She deserved it, and for her, he'd wear this god-awful shirt.**

"Woah Nick. Are you sure? That seems a little extreme," Caleb said, sarcastically.

"What's done is done, my friend. The past is in the past and I no longer can change what has been done," Nick said, a serious look on his face which he couldn't hold for long.

Ash nudged Kyrian, "You've been awfully quiet."

"I've been trying to dissect the text unlike so many people in this room," Kyrian gave a tightlipped smile.

**Even if it got him killed...**

"See that right there is foreshadowing! Nick wore that shirt when he got shot. Everyone would have missed it if it weren't for me," Kyrian stated, proudly.

"Nobody cares," Ash smiled, as Nick laughed his head off for some particular reason.

**And he'd smile through the pain of it until Stone and his crew kicked his teeth in. **

"Aww Nick, you are too sweet," his mother and aunt gushed.

He blushed a crimson red, yet again.

**Trying not to think about the butt-whipping to come, Nick ate his bacon in silence**.

"Really? That's new," Death laughed.

Nick gritted his teeth.

**Maybe Stone wouldn't be in school today. He could get malaria or the plague, or rabies or something. **

"That's a bit much to be asking," Caleb said.

**Yeah, may the smarmy freak get a pox on his private. **

"Nick! That is very rude!" Cherise yelled at him, angrily.

"Trust me, Ms. G, that punk deserves it," Caleb defended Nick.

Ash was getting annoyed at how close those two were and how Caleb always needed to rescue Nick. Nick could handle himself.

**That thought actually made him smile as he shoved the grainy powdered eggs into his mouth and swallowed them. He forced himself not to shiver at the taste. But it was all they could afford. **

**He glanced at the clock on the wall and jerked. "Gotta go. I'm going to be late." **

**She grabbed him for a bear hug. **

**Nick grimaced. "Stop sexually harassing me, Mom. I gotta go before I get another tardy." **

**She popped him-**

Ash started dying of laughter before he finished the sentence.

Nick's eyes widen as he realized what was going to happen. He was on his feet in seconds and tackling Ash, "Don't read the sentence!"

They wrestled around, Ash having thrown the book to Caleb and Caleb shouting the next sentence.

**She popped him on the butt cheek before she released him. **

Everyone burst into laughter. The loud and obnoxious kind. Nick sat their hiding his face in his lap. As Ash clapped him on the back.

"Guys it's not funny!" His voice came out muffled.

"Nick, honey, it's fine. Your mother is showing you love," Aunt Mennie said, gently.

He groaned and threw himself face first on the carpet.

Ash found it adorable. He found himself smiling softly at Nick's childish ways.

"Well, that was fun," Ash said, grabbing the book for Caleb.

After containing themselves, everyone listened intently for Ash to begin again. Nick sat next to Ash's legs on the ground, which formed a secret smile on his face that only Kyrian took notice of.

**"Sexually harassing you. Boy, you have no idea." She ruffled his hair as he bent over to pick up his backpack. **

**Nick put both arms through the straps and hit the door running. He launched himself from the dilapidated porch and sprinted down the street, past broken-down cars and garbage cans to where the streetcar stopped. **

**"Please don't be gone..." **

**Otherwise he'd be doomed to another "Nick? What are we going to do with you, you white-trash dirt?" lecture from Mr. Peters. The old man hated his guts, and the fact that Nick was a scholarship kid at his snotty overprivileged school seriously ticked Peters off. He'd like nothing better than to kick him out so that Nick wouldn't "corrupt" the kids from the good families. **

"That was a load of shit on Peters' behalf," Kody said, bravely.

"Ahem to that, sister," Nick said.

** Nick's lips curled as he tried not to think about the way those decent people looked at him like he was nothing. More than half their dads were regulars at the club where his mom worked, yet they were called decent while he and his mom were considered trash.**

"Good lord, Nick! You could be a preacher," Bubba said, soulfully. (weird I know)

**The hypocrisy of that didn't sit well with him. But it was what it was. He couldn't change anyone's mind but his own. **

**Nick put his head down and ran as he saw the streetcar stopped at his station. **

**Oh man...**

**Nick picked up speed and he broke out into a dead run. He hit the platform and leapt for the streetcar.**

"You act like you're being chased," Adrian mumbled, the first thing he said after Nick's confrontation with him.

"I might as well as been," Nick snapped.

**He'd caught it just in time. **

**Panting and sweating from the humid autumn New Orleans air, he shrugged his backpack off as he greeted the driver. "Morning, Mr. Clemmons." **

**The elderly African-American man smiled at him. He was one of Nick's favorite drivers. **

"I miss that guy," Nick said, softly.

**"Morning, Mr. Gautier." He always mispronounced Nick's last name. He said it "Go-chay" instead of the correct "Go-shay." The difference being "Go-chay" traditionally had an "h" in it after the "t" and, as Nick's mom so often said, they were too poor for any more letters.**

Soft chuckles sounded about the room and Cher smiled as she filled everyone with joy.

**Not to mention, one of his mom's relatives, Fernando Upton Gautier, had founded the small town in Mississippi that shared his name and both were pronounced "Go-shay." "Your mom made you late again?"**

"I am learning so much about you, Nick," Caleb said, smiling.

"It'll be your turn for secret sharing later at our slumber party," Nick winked.

**"You know it." Nick dug his money out of his pocket and quickly paid before taking a seat. Winded and sweating, he leaned back and let out a deep breath, grateful he'd made it in time.**

**Unfortunately, he was still sweating when he reached school. The beauty of living in a city where even in October it could hit ninety by eight A.M. Man, he was getting tired of this late heat wave they'd been suffering.**

"Boy, you ain't the only one. I'm sick and tired of smelling Mark's dirty ass duck urine perfume everyday!" Bubba complained, earning a hurt look on Mark's face.

**Suck it up, Nick. You're not late today. It's all good. **

**Yeah, let the mocking commence.**

"Sounds fun," Ash, smirked, he got an attempt of a dead leg from Nick.

**He smoothed down his hair, wiped the sweat off his brow, and draped his backpack over his left shoulder. **

**Holding his head high in spite of the snickers and comments about his shirt and sweaty condition, he walked across the yard and through the doors like he owed it. It was the best he could do. **

**"Ew! Gross! He's dripping wet. Is he too poor to own a towel? Don't poor people bathe?"**

**"Looks like he went fishing in the Pontchartrain and came up with that hideous shirt instead of a real fish." **

**"That's 'cause he couldn't miss it. I'll bet it even glows in the dark." **

**"I bet there's a naked hobo somewhere wanting to know who stole his clothes while he was sleeping on a bench. Gah, how long has he owned those shoes,anyways? I think my dad wore a pair like that in the eighties."**

Cher was fuming after hearing these comments about her baby. She was about ready to hit anyone who even made a small joke about him. This mama bear wouldn't let anyone pick on her little cub.

Adrian could see the steam rolling off Cherise and he loved it. It loved that bad side of her, if he could love that is.

**Nick turned a deaf ear to them and focused on the fact that they really were stupid. None of them would be here if their parents weren't loaded. He was the scholarship kid. They probably couldn't have even spelled their names right on the exam he aced to get in.**

"Nick, that's not very nice," his mom said, half-heartedly.

He gave her a full blown grin, now she finally knew what he went through.

**That was what mattered most. He'd much rather have brains than money. **

"What if you were like me and had both?" Kyrian asked.

"My life would be complete!" Nick announced.

**Though right now, a rocket launcher might be nice too. He just couldn't say it out loud without the facility calling the cops on his having "inappropriate" thoughts.**

**His bravado lasted until he reached his locker, where Stone and his crew were loitering.**

**Great, just great. Couldn't they pick on someone else to stalk?**

"When I think about it, man, they do kinda stalk you," Caleb smiled.

**Stone Blackmoor was the kind of creep that gave the jocks a bad name. They weren't all like that and he knew it. Nick had several friends who were on the football team- starters, no less, not seat warmers like Stone. **

**Still, when you thought of an arrogant jock-rock, Stone was aptly named. It was definitely a self-fulling moniker his parents had labeled him with. Guess his mom had known while he was in the womb that she was giving birth to a flaming moron.**

Caleb let out a snort, "You'd have to feel it since he is that big of a flaming moron."

"Yeah, that's true," Kody added in.

**Stone snorted as Nick stopped besides his group to open his locker. "Hey, Gautier. I saw you mom naked last night- shaking her butt in my dad's face so that he'd put in her G-string. He got a good feel of her too. Said she got a nice set of-" **

Adrian and Cher both were fuming at those punk's words. He had no right to talk to Cher like that. Damn him! Damn that bastard!

**Before he could even think better of it, Nick swiped him upside the head with his backpack as hard as he could.**

"You go, baby boy," Aunt Mennie cheered.

And then it was on like Donkey Kong.

**"Fight!" someone shouted while Nick wrapped Stone in a headlock and pounded on him. **

**A crowd gathered round, chanting, "Fight, fight, fight." **

**Somehow Stone escaped his hold and hit him so hard in the sternum it took his breath from him.**

"Was he that good look?" Death smirked at him.

Nick glared at Ambrose for inviting him to make fun of Nick for who knows how long. It has only been about an hour and it was already killing him inside.

**Dang, he was a lot stronger than he looked. He hit like a jackhammer. **

**Furious, Nick started for him, only to find one of the teacher suddenly between them. **

**Ms. Pantall**.

"Gross," Caleb moaned.

**The sight of her petite form calmed him instantly. **

Eyebrows were raised at Nick, he just shouted, "Keep reading!"

**He wasn't about to hit an innocent person, especially not a woman. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed down the hall. "To the office, Gautier. Now!" **

**Cursing under his breath, Nick picked his backpack up from the tiled beige floor and glared at Stone, who at least had a busted lip.**

"That's my baby!" Cher said proudly, though not to long ago she had forbidden fighting.

**So much for not getting in trouble. **

**But what was he suppose to do? Let the weasle scum insult his mom?**

"You better not have, Boy. I thought I taught you better than that," Adrian growled, somewhat happy the kid had beat up the good for nothing bastard.

**Disgusted, he entered the office and sat in the corner chair outside the principal's office. Why wasn't there an undo button for life?**

"Then, it would be too easy," Ash said, looking down at him.

Gazed into his sunglass covered eyes and wondered what they really looked like.

**"Excuse me?"**

**Nick looked up at the softest, sweetest voice he'd ever heard. His stomach hit the ground. **

**Dressed in all pink, she was gorgeous, with silky brown eyes and green eyes that practically glowed. **

**Oh. My. God.**

Ash became annoyed. She wasn't that pretty anyways. The gods would have her for dinner. She was nothing compared the all the goddess. It annoyed him even more that Nick thought of her as so beautiful. Or maybe use to think of her like that.

**Nick wanted to speak but all he could do was try not to drool on her. **

**She held her hand out to him. "I'm Nekoda Kennedy, but most people call me Kody. I'm new to the school and kind of nervous. They told me to wait here, then there was a fight and they haven't come back and... I'm sorry, I babble when I'm nervous." **

Kody giggled and smiled at Nick, "I'm glad I made a good first impression.

Nick gave her a half ass smile, he felt like he couldn't trust her anymore.

**"Nick. Nick Gautier." He cringed as he realized how stupid he sounded and how behind he was on her conversation. **

**She laughed like an angel. A beautiful, perfect...**

**I am so in love with you...**

**Get a grip, Nick. Get a grip...**.

Nick flushed red as his mom shot him a wink. He was embarrassed about how whipped he use to be, but now he was confused. He gave Ash a look, but quickly looked away when Kyrian caught him.

Kyrian has some serious meddling to do later.

**"So, have you been going here long?" Kody asked.**

**Work, tongue. Work. He finally choked an answer out. "Three years." **

**"You like it?" **

**Nick's gaze went to Stone and his others heading into the office. "Not today, I don't." **

**She opened her mouth to speak, but Stone and crew surrounded her. **

**"Hey, baby. Stone flashed her a cheesy smile. "You new meat?" **

**Kody grimaced and sidestepped them. "Get away from me, you animals. You smell." She raked a repugnant stare over Stone's body and curled her lips. "Aren't you a little old for your mom to be picking out your clothes for you? Really? Shopping at Children's Place at your age? I'm sure there's some third-grader dying to know who bought the last navy I-sore shirt." **

**Nick bit back a laugh. Yeah, he really, really liked her. **

**She went to stand by Nick and put her back against the wall so that she could keep an eye on Stone. "Sorry we got interrupted." Nick tried to like her again, thinking of all the good memories. He couldn't thought, everything they did was just part of her little show and he could never forgive her for that. **

**Stone made a sound like he was about to vomit. **

**"Why are you talking to King Loser Dork? You want to talk about ugly? Look at what he's wearing." **

**Nick cringed as Kody examined the sleeve of his shirt. **

**"I like a man who takes fashion chances. It's the mark of someone who lives by his own code. A rebel." She cast a biting glare at Stone. "A real lone wolf is a lot sexier than a pack animal who follows orders and can't give an opinion unless someone else gives it to him." **

**"Oooo," Stone's friends said in unison as she got the better of him. **

**"Shut up!" Stone shoved them. "No one asked you for your opinions." **

**"Nekoda?" the secretary called. "We need to finish your schedule." **

**Kody gave Nick a last smile. "I'm in the ninth grade." **

**"Me too." **

**Her smile widened. "Hope we have some classes together. Nice meeting you, Nick." She made sure to step on Stone's foot as she walked past him.**

"Damn, talk 'bout attitude," Mark said.

Nick just shrugged. He didn't feel like getting into all that. It hurt him knowing that so many people would end up hurting him.

**Stone yelped and mumbled an insult for her under his breath. Then he and his three friends sat down in the chairs that were opposite Nick's. **

**Ms. Pantall walked past them to go talk to Mr. Peters. **

**They're going to cream me over this...**

Caleb coughed back a laugh, which earned glares from the Gautier family. This had to be Nick's worst nightmare. His mother hearing what everyone had to say about them. It broke his heart.

**As soon as she was gone, Stone tossed a wadded-up piece of paper at him. "Where did you get that shirt, Gautier?" **

"Obviously, he wants one to impress Kody," Ash smirked.

Nick laughed, God he couldn't help but love the way Ash was so funny and sarcastic.

**"Goodwill or did you find it in a Dumpster? Nah, I bet you rolled a hobo for it. I know you people can't afford even something that tacky." **

**Nick refused to rise to the bait this time. Besides, he could handle insults directed at him. It was ones against his mom that elevated him to fighting mad. **

**And this was why most private schools had uniforms. But Stone didn't want to wear one and since his father all but owned the school...**

**Nick got mocked for the clothes his mom thought were respectable. Why don't you ever listen to me, Mom? Just once...**

"Maybe, I should just pull you out of that school, Nicky. Find a place where people will respect you," Cherise offered, she was making good enough money now and so was Nick.

"It's ok, Mom. How could I leave Caleb? What would he do without me?"

"He would throw a party and celebrate the departure of the biggest pain in the ass in the history of the world," Caleb smiled.

This gave Adrian some humor, so he merely half smiled. He didn't notice, but Cher saw. It was one of the few times she had seen a genuine smile on that man's face.

**"What? No smart comeback?" **

**Nick flipped him off... At the same exact moment Peters came out and saw him. **

**Lady luck is definitely on vacation today.**

Everyone laughed at Nick's misfortune. This kid never got a break.

**"Gautier," Peters growled. "Get in here now!"**

**With a heavy sigh, Nick got up and went inside the office he knew as well as his own home. Peters stayed outside, no doubt talking to Stone while he was forced to wait. He took the chair to the right and sat there, staring at pictures of Peters's wife and kids'.**

**They had a nice house with a yard, and in one photo his daughters played with a white puppy. **

"Shame 'bout that man," Aunt Mennie said, quietly. Nick just shrugged.

**Nick stared at them. What would it be like to live that way? He'd always wanted a dog, but since they could barely afford to feed themselves, a pooch was out of the question. Not to mention their landlord would die if they had one in their rented condo even though there wasn't much more damage a dog could do to the run-down shack.**

Nick thought about that old house and kind of missed it, it had been his first home for as long as he could remember.

**After a few minutes, Peters came in and went to his desk. Without a word he pick up the phone. **

**Nick panicked. "What are you doing?"**

"You know the answer. Use your head, Nick," Ash said, tapping the side of Nick's head with his finger.

"It did say I panicked so! I'm forgiven, I was just buying some time," Nick said, swatting away his hand.

Ash just laughed and continued reading.

**"I'm calling your mother." **

"Oooo," was sounded around the room from mostly everyone.

**Terror ripped through him. "Please, Mr. Peters, don't do that. She had to work a double shift last night and tonight too. She's only going to get about four hours of sleep today and I don't want to worry her about nothing." Not to mention she'd beat his butt royally for this. **

**He dialed the number anyway.**

"That man is so rude," Cherise said, hotly.

Adrian wasn't too happy either, he'd kill that man if he wasn't already dead.

**Nick grounded his teeth as anger and fear whipped through his entire being. **

**"Miss Gautier?" Could there be anymore loathing in his tone? And did he always have to stress the fact his mom had never married? That always embarrassed her to death.**

Adrian and Cherise looked at each other, but quickly looked away when they saw the other looking. There was a time when they had almost, but things changed.

**"I wanted to let you know that Nick is being suspended from school for the rest of the week." **

**His stomach hit the floor. His mom was going to kill him when he got home. Why couldn't Peters just shoot him and put him out of his misery?**

**Peters glared mercilessly at him. "No, he was fighting again, and I'm sick of his thinking he can come here and attack decent people anytime he feels like it for no apparent reason. He has to learn to control his temper. Honestly, I'm tempted to call the police. In my opinion, he should be sent to public school where they can handle troubled kids like him. I've said it before and I'll say it again. He doesn't belong here. "**

"I never liked that man," Cher said, sourly.

Adrian thought this was trouble for him. If that punk was stronger than him, who knows what would happen to him.

**Nick died a little with every word. Kids like him...**

**He zoned out so that he wouldn't have to hear the rest of Peters's tirade about how worthless he was. He already knew the truth in his heart. The last thing he needed was someone else voicing it.**

"Nick, come on. You aren't completely useless," Ash said.

"Yeah, you give me a run for my money in video games," Caleb piped.

Nick laughed, "Guys, that was so long ago. I'm over it."

**After a few minutes, Peters hung up the phone. **

**Nick gave a sullen stare. "I didn't start it." **

"Technically, yes. You took the first swing," Bubba said.

"Would you let someone bad mouth your mama," Nick shot back.

"Hell nah! You shot my mama though. You lucky I didn't kill you."

Nick gave a cheeky smile and shut up.

I decided since chapters were so long i would cut them in half. Sorry for taking forever to post. Love all you guys. Hope you like it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Peters curled his lips. "That's not what the others said. Who am I suppose to believe, Gautier? A hoodlum like you or four honor students?" **

"Did he forget I am an honor student?" Nick asked.

"Probably 'cos you are a 'hoodlum'" Caleb said, using air quotes.

**He was suppose to believe the one telling the truth, which happened to be the hoodlum. "He insulted my mother." **

**"That's no excuse for violence." **

"Yes it is! He has no idea what he was talking about!" Cherise said, angrily.

Nick smiled, his mother finally knew what he went through for her and he wouldn't change a thing either.

**That went down his spine like a shredder. The sanctimonious pig- Nick couldn't let that go unanswered.**

"Surprise, surprise," Death said, sarcastically.

**"Really? Well, you know, Mr. Peters, I saw your mom naked last night and for an old broad, she had really nice-"**

Cherise gasped, while Caleb burst into laughter. "I can't believe you did that to Peters!"

Nick smiled, proudly. One of his better moments.

**"How dare you!" he shouted, coming to his feet to grab Nick up by his shirt.**

"He can't do that!" Cherise shouted. Everyone saw where Nick got his temper from, thought a slight bit of it had something to do with Adrian.

**"You fouled-mouthed little-" **

**"I thought you said your mom was no excuse for violence." **

"Aw, shit. You got him there, boy," Bubba smiled.

**Peters trembled as rage mottled his skin. His grip tightened and a vein throbbed in his temple.**

"Sounds like the Hulk," Kody said, thoughtfully, making Nick laugh.

**"My mother isn't a Bourbon Street stripper. She's a good God-fearing woman." **

Adrian shot up screaming and threw the coffee table across the room, nearly hitting Nick had he not ducked.

Kyrian was pretty upset. He actually liked that coffee table and Adrian made a mess in his living room, which Rosa would have to clean up later on.

Adrain was done with this book and that man. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone bad-mouthing perfect Cherise. He realized he made a scene and composed himself quickly, "Go on! Keep reading!"

Nick gritted his teeth, soon the sun would go down and Adrian would go away for the night. Hopefully the sun would leave the sky sooner.

Cherise was surprise. Of course she was upset, but Adrian seemed to hate it even more than her. She remembered that there was a sweet side to Adrian, no matter how small it was there. She was actually very disappointed in him and couldn't hide the expression. Adrian caught it and thought he should feel ashamed.

**He shoved Nick away from him. "Get your things and get out." **

"Gladly," Nick mumbled.

**God-fearing, huh? Strange how Nick and his mom went to mass every Sunday and at least twice during the week and they only ever saw Peters or his mom there was on holidays. **

"That man was full of shit," Adrian snapped, surprising everyone.

**Yeah...**

**Hypocrite to the core. He despised people like Peters.**

"I turned out good," Caleb smiled.

"Yes, you are one of the only rich people I like," Nick stated.

**Nick scooped his backpack up from the floor and left. There was a security guard waiting outside the office to escort him to his locker. **

**Just like a criminal. **

**Might as well get used to it. Some things ran in blood. _At least he's not handcuffing me. _**

Adrian smiled, he should be introduced soon. He wondered in what horrible way.

**Yet. **

**Hanging his head low, he tried not to look at anyone as the other students sniggered and whispered about him. **

"I remember that day. At football practice, Stone told the team a bunch of crap," Caleb spat.

**"That's what happens when you come from trash." **

**"I hope they ****don't let him back in." **

**"Serves him right." **

Cherise hated this book. Loathed it.

**Nick grounded his teeth in anded as he ****near his locker and reached for the combination. **

**Brynna Adams was pulling her books out, two doors down. **

"Dude, she liked you," Caleb smirked.

"What?!" Nick screeched.

"Yeah, a while ago. She told me not to tell," Nick would have never thought.

Ash grew very annoyed. Did the whole female population like Nick?

**Tall with dark brown hair, she was very pretty and one of the few people who hung with Stone and crew that Nick could ****stand. **

"She's a very good girl," Cherise winked at Nick.

**She paused to look at them with a frown, that only deepened when she saw the guard with him. "What's up, Nick?" **

"He got arrested for illegal possession of drugs," Death smiled.

Man, did Nick want to punch him.

**"Got suspended." He paused before he swallowed his pride. Again. "Could I ask a favor?" **

**She didn't hesitate. "Sure." **

**"Could you get my assignments so that I don't fall ****behind?" **

**"Absolutely. You want me to email them to you?" **

_**And I stupidly thought I couldn't feel any worse.**_

"You should know by now, Nick," Ash smiled, while Nick scowled.

**"Don't have a computer at home." **

**Her cheeks darkened. **

"At least she had the decency to be embarrassed," Kody said.

Nick shrugged, he guessed.

**"Sorry, um, where do you need me to take them?" **

**Nick was grateful she was decent- unlike the rest of the jerks she ran with.**

"Seriously, I wonder what her problem is," Caleb stated.

"She was obviously likes bad boys," Cherise said, remembering when she was the same.

Adrian secretly smiled.

**"I'll come by ****your house after school and get it." **

**She wrote down her address while he pulled all of his books out. "I'll be home about four." **

"Nick got a date," Aunt Mennie lovingly teased.

He flushed a Spartan red.

**"Thanks, Brynna. I really appreciated it." He tucked the paper in his back pocket, then allowed the security guard to escort him off campus. **

Nick sighed, everyone would hear his tiny mother get the best of him.

Just then his stomach grumbled, loudly.

Everyone stared at him, "I might be hungry."

Kyrian laughed, "Rosa!"

"Yes, Mr. Hunter," her accent floated from upstairs.

"Can we please have jambalaya?" Nick shouted.

Rosa's laugh filled the house, "Of course, Mr. Nick."

"God, I love you."

She walked down the stairs, smiling, "Te amor también, mijo."

"Anyways," Ambrose said, speaking for the first time since the beginning of the book.

"So quiet, Ambrose," Nick teased.

"Don't push your luck, kid," Ambrose smiled, he just didn't want people to ask questions.

**Heartsick over having to face his mother, he made his way back home to their side of the ghetto and dreaded every step that took him closer to his door.**

"I don't know why, but I imagine a sad, adorable puppy wondering the streets," Kody said, innocently.

Caleb laughed, "Nick would be one of those ugly puppies."

"Rude!" Nick yelped.

**Inside their crappy house, his mother was waiting on him with a stern frown on her face. **

Nick sighed, he knew what was coming.

**Dressed in a threadbare pink robe, she looked about as tired and ticked off as he'd ever seen her. **

"This is gonna get good," Caleb said, rubbing his hands together.

**He dropped his backpack to the floor. "You should be asleep, Mom." **

"Wrong, wrong, wrong," Bubba shook his head. "You let her start it. Never open your big mouth and say something smart when she is already pissed."

**Her eyes cut him to the quick and made him feel even lower than Peters had. **

**"How could I sleep when my boy's been thrown out of school for fighting? You of all people know how hard it is for me to keep you there." **

Caleb had a stupid grin on his face, he enjoyed this thoroughly.

**"How much money it takes. What I have to do to pay for your books and lunches. Why would you be so stupid as to throw this chance away? What were you thinking?" **

"Gawd, Ms. G. That was beautiful," Caleb laughed.

"I thought so too," She smiled.

Nick just looked ashamed, Ash patted his head like a dog.

**Nick didn't say anything because the truth would kill her and he didn't want her to feel as bad as he did when there was nothing she could do about it. **

"Nicky, you should've told me. It would have saved your sorry butt," Cher said, softly.

**_I'm the man of the family._ It was his job to protect the her. It was all he knew. **

_**Take care of your mom, boy, or you'll answer to me. You lip off to her and I'll cut your tongue. You make her cry and I'll kill you myself. **_

"I should be dead," Nick mumbled.

Adrian glared at him, if he killed the boy Cher would hate him forever.

**His father was pretty worthless, but the one thing about him was that he made good on his threats. **

Adrian smiled evilly. That boy better remember that for the rest of his life.

**All of them. And sure he'd already killed twelve people, Nick figured he wouldn't think ****twice about killing him. **

Adrian was very pleased with this description. He loved it.

**Especially since his father had no great love of him. **

I couldn't even if I wanted to, Adrian thought.

**So he kept his ****anger locked in and refused to say anything to hurt her feelings. **

**Unfortunately, his mother gave him no reprieve. "Don't you get sullen on me, boy. I'm sick of that look on your face. Tell me why you attacked that kid. Now."**

"Attack is such an ugly word. I like surprise fight better," Mark smiled.

Cher glared at him.

**Nick clenched his teeth tight.**

**"Answer me, Nick, or so help me-" **

Ash broke out laughing again. "Ms. Gautier, you are on hilarious woman."

**"help me, I'll spank you, even at your age." **

Everyone laughed at Nick. He was treated like a child and god damn it was funny.

"Shut up," a red Nick said.

"My mom was the same, Nick," Ambrose winked at Nick. If only everyone knew...

**He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her ludicrous ****threat. **

"Oooo, Nick. Tsk, tsk," Mark shook his head.

**Even at fourteen, he was more than a head taller than his tiny mother, and he had a good forty pounds on her. "He made fun of me." **

"Of course he did, Nicholas. He was jealous of you," Mennie stated.

"Because you're so good-looking," Ash said, hopefully sarcastically.

Nick's heart fluttered as Ash said he was hot, sarcastically or not, it made him happy.

**"And for that you'd ****jeopardize your entire future? What were you think? **

"He wasn't," Kyrian said. "You are the only thing Nick would really die for in this world and all others."

Cher had tears in her eyes. And she for him.

**"He laughed at you. So what? Believe me, that's not the worth thing that will ever happen to you. You have to grow up, Nicky, and sop acting like a ****baby. Just because some one mocks you is no reason to fight. Now is it? **

"Good lord, Cher. You put that boy to shame," Aunt Mennie sassily said.

**No. He swallowed attacks against him all the time. What he wouldn't suffer were attacks against his mom. And he shouldn't have to. "I'm sorry." **

Cher wanted to ask if all his fights were about her, but she was too scared. She embarrassed her baby and she hated that.

**She held her up. "Don't even go there. You're not sorry. I can see it in your eyes. I am so disappointed in you. I thought I'd thought you better, but apparently you're just like your daddy-" **

It surprisingly crushed Adrian to hear Cherise say that about him. Even though it was true.

**"In spite of everything I do to keep you straight. Now go to your room until I calm down. You can stay there for the rest of the day." **

"Is it bad that I enjoyed myself?" Caleb asked.

"Nah," Ambrose waved a hand at him.

Nick smiled, this inside joke between them would be funny for a while.

**"I'm suppose to woe this afternoon. Ms. Liza needs me to help move her stock around in the storeroom." **

"Nick, why can't you just shut up?" Kody asked.

"Ms. Liza needed my help!" He snapped.

**She growled. **

"That's sexy," Mark blurted out.

"Dude!" Nick yelled. Cherise raised an eyebrow at him, smiling.

"I mean- it's just usually women are sexy when they do that. Not that you aren't sexy for an older woman. You aren't old. I'm just saying-" Mark rambled.

"Shut your damn mouth!" Adrian shouted.

Mark shrank against Bubba, scared out of his mind. He nearly wet himself.

"Don't talk to people that way. This is why no one can stand you!" Cher yelled back.

She gave him a hard glare, as he sat there stunned. This was the second time she stood up to him. She was full of surprises and Adrian found it exciting. He wanted to be angry but he couldn't.

Ash, totally not affected by the awkwardness, kept reading.

**"Fine. You can go,but then it's straight home. You hear me? I don't want you wasting time with any of those hoodlums you call friends." **

"I'm not a hoodlum," Caleb said, innocently.

"Of course not, sweetie," Cherise gently.

**"Yes, ma'am." Nick headed to his "room" and pulled the blankets closed. Sick and tired of it all, he sat down on the lumpy, old mattress and leaned his head back against the wall were he saw the pieces of ceiling that were discolored and peeling up. And then he heard it...**

"What? Demons?" Caleb panicked.

"Maybe if you didn't interrupt," Kody snapped.

They glared at each other as Ash spoke.

**The sound of his mother's tears coming through the wall of her bedroom. God, how he hated that sound. **

Adrian didn't even del like being angry. God, this book was terrible.

**"I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered. **

Cher sighed. Nick crawled over to her, leaning his head against her leg. She smiled down at her baby.

Ash suddenly felt lonely, but that little family need each other. Ash could accept that.

**Wishing he'd strangled Stone where the creep stood.**

"That would've been fun," Ambrose mumbled.

**One day... one day he was going to get out of this hellhole. Even if he had to kill someone to do it. **

"That's a little dark," Kyrian said.

"I was angry," Nick shrugged.

\- Page Break -

Dear readers!

Its not finished, but its something. I have the rest written but I'm so tired. I'm suffering from a slight case of ansomnia and its been horrible. My eating is going down hill but I'm trying because I know you guys want it. so i'll hopefully get the next piece soon. sorry for the wait.

BlueCinder


	4. Chapter 4

**It was nine o'clock when Nick left Liza's store. He'd already picked up his assignments from Brynna at her huge mansion of a house on his way into work. **

"Why does this chapter feel so long?" Ash yawned.

"It's Nick. He has an attention span of a squirrel," Caleb stated.

"So not true!" Nick shouted the same time Rosa announced that the meal was done. "Food!" Nick sprinted toward the kitchen.

"I told you," Caleb smiled, following Nick to the kitchen.

Minutes later Caleb returned with a giant bowl and was moaning into it, "Dear lord, this is absolutely wonderful."

From the kitchen, you heard Rosa laughing, "Nick! You can't take the whole pot!" He returned with a bowl bigger than Caleb's. Those boys couldn't stop moaning about it.

"Get a room," Ambrose said, thought he remembered just how delicious Rosa's cooking was.

"I will. I will show this jambalaya a good time," Caleb stated, dead serious.

"Rosa, we love you so much!" Nick shouted.

"I know!"

"Are you two done?" Kyrian asked. "I find this book quite interesting."

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises," Caleb pointed his spoon at them.

"Ash, go on," Kyrian motioned.

**Then he'd put in five hours so that he could save money for his "college fund." **

"College fund has quotation marks around it," Ash informed them.

**'Course at the rate it was accumulating, he'd be fifty before he could go. But something was better than nothing.**

"I like the way you think," Kyrian said.

**Liza locked the door to her shop while he stood behind her to shield her from anyone who might be watching them. **

"I miss Liza! I'm gonna try to see her more," Nick announced.

**"Good night, Nicky. Thanks for your help." **

**"Night, Liza." He waited until she was safely in her car and on her way home before he headed down Royal Street toward the Square.**

"Protective much?" Caleb said.

"It's in my nature. I mean I was raised by Cherise," Nick pointed at her with his spoon. He managed to drip jambalaya on the rug, smiling innocently at Kyrian. "Oops."

**The closest streetcar stop was over behind Jackson Brewey. But as he neared the Square, he wanted to see his mom and apologize for getting suspended. **

"Don't tell me you did it?" Bubba stared at Nick.

Nick chuckled nervously, "No.."

**She told you to go straight home...**

**Yeah, but he'd made her cry and he hated whenever he did that. Besides, the condo was really lonely when he was there alone at night. **

"Aww, were you scared?" Caleb teased.

"No! It said lonely. I was lonely!" Nick glared at him, he had been scared at the time, not that he would admit it.

**And he'd already read Hammer's Slammers until he could quote it. **(A/N: that's so me with The Fault In Our Stars.)

**Maybe if he apologized, she'd let him hang out at the club for the night. **

"Boy! You in trouble!" Bubba shouted.

"Yay!" Caleb gleefully yelled.

**So instead of turning right, he made a left and headed for her club on Bourbon Street. The faint sounds of jazz and zydeco music coming out of stores and restaurants soothed him. Closing his eyes as he walked. **

"You'll trip," Ambrose suddenly blurted out.

Ash laughed, he had to admit he'd been looking at Ambrose and he was handsome.

**He inhaled the sweet smell of cinnamon and gumbo, as he passed the Cafe Pontalba. **

"We should go there," Kody said, dreamily.

**His stomach rumbled. Since he hadn't been at school, his lunch had consisted of more powered eggs and bacon, and he had yet to eat dinner... Which would be those nasty eggs again. **

"Now we eat real eggs," Cherise

**Not wanting to think about that, he walked down the narrow alley to the back door of the club and knocked. **

**John Chartier, one of the huge burly bouncers who watched out for the dancers, opened it with a fierce frown- until he saw Nick. **

"Look, I brighten people's day," Nick smiled.

You brighten my day, Ash thought.

**A wide smile spread over his face. "Hey, buddy. You here to see your mom?" **

"Why else would he be there?" Kyrian questioned.

"To beat the crap out of Stone's dad," Caleb growled.

"I should've!" Nick was very disappointed in himself, though he probably would've gotten his mom fired.

**"Yeah. Is she on stage yet?" **

**"Nah, she's still got a few minutes." He stood back so that Nick could walk down the dark back hallway to the green room. **

**He paused at the door to the room where the dancer dressed and rested between performances, and knocked. **

"Nick is gonna get verbally abused again," Caleb sang.

**Tiffany answered. Absolutely stunning. She was tall and blonde... and barely dressed in a G-string and lacy top. **

"Oh man, what I wouldn't give," Mark mumbled.

"Don't be stupid. That girl is outta your league!" Bubba smacked him in the back of the head.

**Even though he'd been raised around women dressed like that and was used to it, his face flamed bright red as he kept his gaze on the floor. It was like seeing his sister naked.**

"Well, I'd break guy code for her," Mark stated.

"Leave Tiff alone!" Nick whined.

**Tiffany laughed, cupping his chin in her hand. "Cherise? It's your Nicky." She squeezed his chin affectionately. "You're so sweet the way you won't look at us. I knew it was you when you knocked. No one else is so nice. All I can say is your mama is raising you right." **

"Mm, why didn't I meant her, Nick?" Mark asked.

"Cos' you're a perv," Nick snapped.

**Nick mumbled a thank-you as he stepped past her and made his way to his mom's dressing station. **

"I'm excited!" Caleb grinned.

**He kept his gaze down until he was sure she was covered by her pink bathrobe. **

**But when he caught her furious glare in the chipped mirror where she was putting on her makeup, his stomach hit the floor. There was no forgiveness in that face tonight. **

**"I thought I told you to go straight home." **

Cherise stroked Nick's hair, she was too harsh on him.

**"I wanted to say I was sorry again." **

**She put down her mascara wand. "No you didn't. You wanted to try and make me tell you that you didn't have to stay on restriction. I won't have it, Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier. And your paltry apology doesn't change the fact that you new better. You have to learn to think before you act. That temper of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one day. Just like it did your father. Now go home and contemplate what you did and how wrong it was." **

"You should've made him write standards," Caleb laughed.

"Don't you think you were hard on him?" Ash asked, closing the book.

"I don't appreciate you telling me how to raise my son," Cherise said.

"I'm just saying. It seems like you don't even hear him out."

"When you have kids please talk to me," Cherise snapped.

"Mom!" Nick yelled. "Stop. Both of you. This hardly matters anymore."

Silence filled the room and Adrian was seething. Normally he would kill him, but some dark aura rolled off of Ash like waves.

Ash and Cherise were ashamed. Their protectiveness of Nick clashed and upset him.

**"But Mom-" **

**"Don't 'but Mom' me. Go!" **

"Ms. G. I like love you so much," Caleb smiled at her.

Cherise tolled her eyes. Those kids had a tough love kind of relationship.

**"Cherise!" her handler shouted, letting her know it was time to go on stage. **

"Handler doesn't sound right," Kody said.

**She stood up. "I mean it, Nick. Go home." **

**Nick turned around and left the club, feeling even ****worse than he had when he'd left Liza's. Why wouldn't his mom believe in him?**

"Cos' you're related to me, kid," Adrian wickedly grinned.

"Don't remind me," Nick mumbled.

**Why couldn't she see that he wasn't trying to play her? **

**Whatever... He was tired of turning to convince the world, and especially his mom, that he ****wasn't worthless. **

"God, Nick. You're so depressing," Kyrian said.

"It was me against the world then. Nobody believed in me," Nick said, laying face down on the carpet.

"It's ok. I love you, Nick," Caleb said, laying on top of him.

"You're so fat! Get off!" Nick whined.

"Hurtful!" Caleb rolled off of him though.

**On the street, he headed down Bourbon toward Canal, where he could pick up a closer streetcar. He hated when his mom treated him like a criminal. He was not his father. He would never be like that man. **

"Oh, but you are," Death whispered.

**Fine, I'll never protect your honor again. _Let them insult and mock you. See if I_ care.**

Nick sighed. God that was an awful day.

Ash was disgusted with what Nick thought. Man, did that kid have problems.

**Why should he bother when doing the right thing made her so mad at him? **

Cherise was near tears. She regretted everything she'd ever said to Nick. He didn't deserve that. Her poor baby.

**Angry, hurt, and ****disgusted, he heard someone call his name. **

Nick gritted his teeth, Those tools.

**Pausing, he saw Tyree, Alan, and Mike across the street, hanging outside a tourist bead and mask store. They waved him over. **

Kyrian shook his head. This kid is about to break his mother's heart.

**Nick crossed the street to tap his fist against theirs. "What's up?" **

**Tyree leaned his head back in silent salute to him. "Hanging. What you doing?" **

"They sound like douches," Caleb casually stated.

**"Heading home." **

**Tyree slapped at the collar of Nick's orange shirt, "Boy, what you got on? That shits hideous." **

**Nick slapped his hand away. "Clothes. What's that crap you to on and what truck did it fall off of?" **

"I smell trouble," Bubba frowned.

**Tyree snorted and preened. "That my Romeo threads. They make all the ladies call me tasty." **

"Doubt it," Kody gagged.

**Nick scoffed. "Tasty-crazy. Them ain't no Romeo duds. Those fashions by Geek Street." **

**They all laughed. **

"Really? That sucked," Ash smiled.

"I was 14!" Nick stuck his tongue out.

**Mike sobered. "Look, we got a thing tonight and we could use a fourth. You want in? It should be worth a couple hundred dollars to you." **

Don't do it. Don't do it. Ash chanted, even though it was useless.

**Nick's eye widened at the sum. That was a lot of money. Tyree, Mike, and Alan were hustlers. **

"Nicholas Ambroious Gautier! How dare you associate yourself with criminals. At such a young age at that! Were you trying to ruin your life?" Cherise shouted, pacing the room.

"I'm sorry mom. I was just a kid then," Nick said, quietly.

"I hope you're not hanging around them anymore," She said hotly.

"No ma'am."

"Good!" she sat in her spot. angrily. Mennie was there to calm her some.

**Though his mom would have a stroke if she ever found out, he'd been known to help them a time or two when they'd scammed locals and tourists. **

Cherise gasped, "I will-"

Ash cut her off, "Yeah, we get it. Can we just read please?"

Adrian had to check himself again. This was tough.

**"Pool, poker, or craps?" **

**Alan** **and Tyree exchanged an amused look. "This is more a job of watchdog. At least for you. We got the big boss from Storyville who's paying us to shakedown some deadbeats. It'll take a couple of minutes."**

"Don't me you're that stupid," Bubba shouted.

Nick gave him a cheeky smile, to which Bubba's frown deepened.

**Nick screwed his face up. "I don't know about that." **

**Tyree tsked. "C'mon, Nick. We don't have much time before we have to be there and we really need someone to watch the street. Five minutes and you'll make more money than working a month for that old lady." **

Cherise was fuming. She was ready to grab Nick by the ear and drag him home. Where she could beat him peacefully.

**Nick looked back toward his mom's club. Normally, he'd have told them to forget it, but right now... **

"Aw hell nah," Mark gasped.

**If everyone's going to call me a worthless delinquent, I might as well be one. **

"Nick, I thought we taught you better," Aunt Mennie scowled.

"I'm sorry," Nick mumbled, thought he knew it wouldn't do him any good.

**'Cause living right sure wasn't paying off for him. "You sure it's five minutes?" **

**Tyree nodded. "Absolutely. In and out and we're done." **

Everyone looked at Nick disapprovingly and it made him angry, "I know! I'm a piece of crap! You don't need to remind!"

Ash's heart broke. Even after all these years, Nick still felt worthless.

**Then he could be home and his mom wouldn't be the wiser. For once, he enjoyed the thought of sticking it to her, even though she would never know about it. "All right. I'm in." **

Cher stood up, suddenly. Tears flooded down her face. She calmly walked upstairs slamming a door.

Nick felt like crap. When he got up to follow her, Mennie held him back. "I'll talk to her first. Keep reading."

Everyone felt awful for Nick. Disappointing the only person you love must be heart-breaking.

Nick laid on the floor, silently letting tears fall.

Ash continued to read, thought he knew it would hurt.

**"Good man." **

**Nick looked at Alan, who was nineteen. "Can you guys give me a ride home after?" **

**"For you, boy? Anything." **

Even a gunshot wound, Caleb thought.

**Nodding, Nick followed them over to a seedy part of North Rampart. Tyree put him on the street, blocking an alley. **

"God, Nick," Bubba mumbled.

**"You stay right here and watch for the Five-O. Let us know if you see anyone." **

**Nick inclined his head to them. **

**They vanished into the shadows, while he stood there, waiting. **

Everyone was on edge, even Adrian.

**After a few minutes, an old couple walked past him on the sidewalk. **

Oh, no, Kody thought. She had a soft spot for the elderly.

**By their dress and manners, he could tell they were tourists just taking a late stroll off the beaten path. **

**"Hi there," the woman said to him, smiling. **

**"Hi." Nick returned the expression. But... **

Caleb now hated buts more than anything.

**But his smile died an instant later when Alan leapt out of the shadows to grab the woman while Tyree knocked the man into a wall. **

**Nick was stunned. "What are you doing?" **

**"Shut up!" Alan snarled, pulling out a gun. "All right, grandpa. Give us your money or the old ho gets it right between her eyes." **

Ash was reading faster. He couldn't hold his excitement or worry, even though he knew what ended up happening.

**Nick felt the color drain** **his face. The couldn't be happening. They were mugging two tourists? **

**And I'm helping...**

Nick felt so ashamed having to relive that with everyone he cared about, minus four people. He was actually happy his mother wasn't here to hear about her fuck-up son.

**For a full minute he ****couldn't breathe as he watched the woman cry and the man beg them not to hurt her. **

**Before he even realized what he was doing, he grabbed Alan's hand that held the gun and knocked it away. "Run!" he shouted at the couple. **

Nobody dared cheer because they knew Nick was proud of none of this.

**They did. **

**Tyree started after them, but Nick tackled him to the ground. **

**Alan caught him by the collar of his shirt and jerked him-**

"He did what?" Caleb shouted.

"Jerked him back," Ash smirked.

"Oh thank god," Caleb said, wiping his brow. He had hoped to make Nick laugh some, but it didn't work.

**Jerked him back. "Man, what are you doing?" **

**Nick shoved him. "I can't let you mug someone. That wasn't the deal." **

**"You stupid..." Alan hit him in the face with the gun. **

Everyone cringed. Nick must have been one tough kid. They were all proud that he overcame everything.

**Pain exploded in Nick's skull as he tasted blood. **

**"You're going to pay for that, Gautier." **

"Crap. This is my least favorite part," Nick mumbled. Ambrose didn't like it much either.

**The three of them ****descended on him so fast and furious that he couldn't even see to fight back. One minute he was standing and the next he was on the ground with his arms wrapped around his head to protect it from the gun Alan was beating him with. **

Caleb's heart went out to his best friend. He should've been there for him.

**They stomped and beat on him until he lost all feeling in his legs and one arm. **

Ash felt like shit having to read this to Nick. It must really hurt him physically and mentally.

**Alan stepped back and angled the gun on him. "Say your prayers, Gautier. You're about to become a ****statistic." **

"That's it for the chapter," Ash said.

"That asshole! Nick, man, you are crazy kid," Mark exclaimed.

"I should've been there man. I'm here to protect you," Caleb said, patting Nick on the shoulder.

"I appreciate it. I just wish you guys didn't have to hear that. I'm so glad my mom didn't," Nick said, sadly.

"Nick, you turned out alright. We are all raising you better," Kyrian told him softly.

"It doesn't matter what you did back then because we stand by you no matter what," Ash looked at him right in the eyes, willing him to think better of himself.

Kyrian seriously needed to talk to Ash after this. Sparks were flying and they were ignoring them or missing them completely. Kyrian would fix it.

"It's 10:30. We should get to bed," Nick mumbled.

"Yeah," Ambrose said, stretching. He had to get Adrian back to prison, which was done pretty easily.

"See you tomorrow, Nick," Death smiled evilly before disappearing.

Nick groaned. He didn't know how much of him he could stand.

"Everyone id just staying here then?" Kyrian asked.

"No point in leaving." Caleb shrugged, kicking off his shoes.

"Dude, Kyrian has plenty of rooms just sleep in one of them, not the couch," Nick said to Caleb.

"I'm cool down here," Caleb just wanted to make sure everyone was safe, a lot of dark aura is leaking out of the house right now.

Nick shrugged and showed Kody to one of the rooms upstairs. Kyrian thought it was the perfect time to talk to Archeon.

"Ash, let's talk in the kitchen," Kyrian tried to sound nonchalant.

"What?"

"You and Nick? Stange things are happening around there. Do you like him?"

Ash sighed. "I'm not sure. Lately I've just been noticing him. I'm definitely feeling something. Nick is Nick. Everything about him heightens my senses and I can't shake him."

Kyrian smiled, it was good to see him like this. "I think you should go for it. Nick is different. I've seen you two together and it just fits. I know over the past years he's changed. I haven't seen him look at a girl like he use to. Think about it."

Kyrian walked away leaving Ash to toss and turn about his feelings all night long.

Niether of them ever aware that Nick was leaning against the wall that connected the living room and the kitchen, grinning like a fool.

**-Page Break-**

You guys! I updated! Thats awesome! You're welcome! I finally finished the chapter! Just a whole bunch more to go! I'll see you guys soon! thanks so much! Love you guys. And And! I especially wanted to thank seastar529. one of my first supporters and amazingly nice!


	5. Chapter 5

Nick was absolutely exhausted. The conversation between Ash and Kyrian didn't help the fact that he tried making things better with his mom, all night long. He sat outside her door begging for her to hear him out. His eyelids became heavy as he tried shoveling another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Hey kid," Ambrose said, startling Nick. Nick nodded finally getting that spoon to its destination.

"Adrian is gonna appear soon, so wanna talk for a while while everyone is still sleeping," Ambrose knew Nick had something to say, it was written all over his face.

Nick sighed, "It's mom and Ash and Kody. I feel like I can't trust people. Mom, she'll probably hate me by the end of the series. I've done so many bad things. I don't think she came forgive for all of them."

"Listen, Nick. Whatever you did was my fault too. Our stories are a little different, but our actions are the same. Ash hadn't meant to do it. He thought he was doing the best for me. Things went wrong. Kody was doing it for unselfish reasons. Plus you can't just ignore your what you were born to be," Ambrose said, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"That's not what I meant about Ash," Nick mumbled.

"What?"

Nick told Ambrose about what he heard the night before and Ambrose was beyond surprise. Ash... he likes guys? Twisted!

"Wow," was all Ambrose could say.

"Yeah, I know. What do I do?"

"Depends."

"On?" Nick pressed.

"How you feel," Ambrose said.

"I'm confused. He'll betray me and I don't want that," Nick ran a hand through his hair.

"Maybe it'll change because of his feelings. Take a leap of faith. Live a little," Ambrose smirked.

"I've lived a lifetime," Nick laughed.

Everyone began filing into the kitchen, though Adrian stood in the corner, glaring at everyone. Cherise even came down, still not being able to look at Nick. His heart sank.

Ash came over and ruffled his hair, "It'll take some time, but she can't possibly not love her son."

Nick couldn't look at Ash the same. A hot blush creep up his face when he looked into Ash's eyes.

It threw off Ash. What could he have possibly done to earn this kind of reaction from Nick?

Ash ate breakfast more confused than ever. He still didn't know what to do about Nick. The reaction he got made it even worse. This was absolutely frustrating.

Cherise knew she couldn't stay mad at Nick forever. He knew what he did was wrong and he had bettered himself. It still broke her heart that he couldn't tell her. He was just a child, he was afraid. She looked over at Nick passed out with his head next to his cereal bowl. She smiled lovingly at him. That was her baby. She couldn't stay mad at him ever. Not at the age of four and not now. She only became angry at herself for not being a better mother.

Caleb walked up to a sleeping Nick and smacked him in the back of the head. Nick was startled and nearly fell out of his chair. "The fuck, man?!"

"We're gonna read. Drink coffee or something," Caleb handed Nick the rest of his.

Nick took it, graciously, savoring the liquids bitter taste.

They all sat in the same spots as yesterday, but Nick stole Kyrian's seat next to Ash. Kyrian smiled widely, taking resident on the armchair, where he had a good view of the two.

"Who wants to read?" Ambrose asked, picking up the book.

"I will. I come out in this chapter," Kyrian smiled, taking the book from Ambrose.

Nick grimaced. Great, more humiliation. Ash smiled reassuringly at Nick, to which Nick blushed again.

What the fuck... Ash thought.

"Alright. Chapter 2.."

**-PageBreak-**

Dear readers,

I decided I would like to tease you. This is always the easiest part of the story anyway! I thought I could please you all thoroughly. I had been up all night with my thoughts anyway. I promise some of the story will come before the end of the month. Ok? cool! love you all thanks for your support! :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Nick wanted to lash out so badly he could taste it. ****_I won't die like this. Not beaten in a gutter by people who're suppose to be my friends. Guys I've known and played with my whole life. I won't. _**

Cherise wanted to reach out for Nick and tell him she forgave him. She thought it would be better if she told him when they were alone.

Nick felt weak. Totally weak. Now everyone, even Adrian, knew just how horrible he was. Just how useless he is. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a happy time. He smiled as he remembered a random day when Ah was teaching him how to drive. Such simple times (or as simple as they could get).

**Yet here he lay. **

**Helpless. Weak.**

**Defeated.**

**Not only were his taste buds drenched with blood, he felt like he was suffocating on it.**

"Bleh," Caleb looked sick.

**His mind ached to fight until they were begging him for mercy- it wanted him to get up and make them eat their teeth, but his body refused. **

"God, you are a fighter boy. I'm telling you , Mark, he's been holding out on us, " Bubba complained.

Nick rolled his eyes. He did not want to jump into that topic.

**Nothing was listening to him. Heck, he couldn't even keep them from hitting him.**

"Well, the odds weren't in your favor, " Kody said.

"Ah, the Hunger Games," Ash sighed.

Nick smiled at him. Ash did the sweetest, most adorable things, in his opinion. Maybe he was biased.

**Unable to do anything at all, he glared his hatred at Alan and hoped that the look alone would haunt the rat for the rest of eternity. **

"Doubt it," Adrian mumbled.

**Alan laughed as he squeezed the trigger.**

Cherise cringed even though Nick came back alright. Well.. he came back in one place.

**Holding his breath, Nick waited for the sound that would end his life. **

"I'd miss you, " Caleb pouted.

"I know you would," Nick winked, Caleb flipped him the middle finger.

**Out of the darkness, a blur rushed in at the same instant Alan fired the gun. One moment Tyree, Alan, and Mike were laughing at his pain while they insulted him. In the next, they flying through the air and hitting the ground near him hard enough to break bones.**

"Cool!" Caleb shouted.

Kyrian smiled proudly. Ah, the quirks of being a dark-hunter.

Cherise was relieved. It was about time Kyrian saved her baby.

**Nick froze as he tried to figure out where he'd been shot, but his body hurt so much that he couldn't tell. ****_Maybe it missed me. _**

Ash snorted. "You should know you don't have that good of luck."

Nick wanted to say something witty back, but it was too true. Ash smirked at his silence.

**Laying on the street, and black clothes as someone attacked his ex friends. **

Caleb looked around the room for blonde hair when his eyes landed on Kyrian. "Oh!"

Everyone's eyes snappee to Caleb. He blushed. "It was Kyrian."

Nick rolled his eyes. They all thought he was a dumb one.

**Alan cried out and the gun landed on the ground beside him.**

**The blond man tsked. "Shame you're too young to kill. But in two years, I catch you doing this crap again, you won't live long enough to rethink it." **

"I've always envied your restraint," Ash said.

"You show restraint all the have to deal with Nick," Caleb said.

"Hey! I'm not that bad! Am I?" the room's silence was answer enough for Nick.

**With one hand, he threw Alan into the street like a rag doll. **

"Badass," Kody said.

"Kyrian is a badass. Thanks to me," Ash smiled.

**In a swirl of black and the flash of silver, the man turned to face Nick. he didn't know why but the guy reminded him more of a rich, stockbroker-**

Ash burst into laughter, "Told you. You have to take my kind of edgy look."

Nick couldn't imagine Kyrian with green hair.

**Stockerbroker then someone able to take down street hardened gangbangers.**

Caleb smirk. Gangbangers.

**And he wasn't all that will be there. Maybe his twenties.**

**Maybe. **

Kyrian was surprised Nick on to things so quickly.

**Nick could barely draw his breath as the man came forward with the walk of a vicious predator.**

"Ooo," Mark said.

**He was dressed in all black.**

"I don't care what he's wearing. Get to the good stuff Nick," Caleb complained.

"I'm wounded! I'll grasp anything that comes to mind," Nick exclaimed. He was starting to feel slightly better.

**An expensive of a coat draped around a body that was lethal.**

"Matrix," Bubba stated

Kyrian laughed, "It has always been my dream to be Neo."

**But it was the flash of silver on a pair of black boots that caught his attention.**

"They were extremely stylish," Ash said.

"Ha, ha," Nick glared, halfheartedly, at him.

**One of them had a knife protruding from the toe. A knife that retracted as he came closer.**

"That is awesome!" Mark smiled.

**The man knelt down, his brow furrowed into a frown. "They made a mess of you, kid. Can you stand?"**

"Of course he can't, " Cherise snapped.

Nick raised an eyebrow at her outburst. He didn't think his mom would be defending him anytime soon.

**Nick slapped at his hand as the man reached out to touch him. **

"You like touching boys, Kyrian?" Ash smirked.

"No. Not me anyways," Kyrian winked.

Ash glared at him. He was gonna get it later.

Nick blushed. Hiding it behind his empty coffee cup.

**He didn't need help from anyone. Especially not a stranger. **

"Yeah, he only needs help from me," Caleb glared at Kody.

She knew Malphas would say something to her sooner or later.

**He tried to push himself to his feet, then everything went black.**

Adrian found all this boring. So what if his punk ass offspring got beat up? He had it coming.

**Kyrian Hunter-**

"That's me!" Kyrian exclaimed.

"Great. Now keep reading," Ash rolled his eyes.

**Barely caught the skinny kid dressed in a foully orange Hawaiian shirt before he hit the street. That hideous thing had saved his life. **

"At least that shirt was good for something," Nick stretched his arms out.

Ash stiffened when Nick left his arm on the back of his seat. Oh God. He was being punished for something.

**So bright it practically glowed, it'd called out to him as he'd been walking by and had altered him of the fight. **

"God, everyone is so boring," Kody yawned.

"Says the assassin," Nick blurted out.

Everyone was confused. Assassin?

Kody couldn't believe he did that. She knew Nick was hurting, but to say that to her face, in front of everyone was crossing the line.

Caleb wanted to laugh, but knew that would set Kody off. Maybe she'd kill him. So Caleb settled for a smiled.

**From what he'd seen, the kid was a tough little scrapper. **

"Because I'm scrappy," Nick said, smugly.

Ash laughed.

"What?" Kyrian asked.

"Its a Friends reference," Ash explained.

Nick smiled. He didn't think anyone would get that joke.

**He'd give him that. And the boy could take a vicious beating without begging for mercy. **

"Well, I am awesome," Nick smiled.

**There weren't many adults who could have gone though what he had without crying. **

**That alone made him respect the kid.**

Kyrian knew he'd never forget that day. The day he had found a diamond in the ruff.

**He glared art the other punks, who were running as fast as they could. **

"Weenies, " Caleb laughed.

"They probably ran to Weenie Hut Junior," Nick smirked, sending Caleb into a fit of laughter.

**The ancient warrior and predator inside him wanted to hunt them down and kill them for what they'd done. **

"Ancient? You aren't that old," Cherise said, innocently.

Kyrian gave her a tight lipped smile.

**But the man in him knew this one, the one who'd put his life on the line to save the elderly couple wouldn't live if he did. **

Cherise gasped. At least he did save that couple. He was a hero.

**The cowards could unfortunately wait for another butt-whipping.**

**He titled the kid's face so that he could see his features. **

"Saw something you liked?" Nick wiggled his eyes brows, hoping to get a reaction put of Ash.

Ash hoped her wore a neutral expression because he was screaming on the inside.

Kyrian rolled his eyes, "As if."

**The short brown hair was saturated worth blood, and a huge cut would most likely leave a scar right above his left eyebrow. **

Ash brushed away the hair on Nick's forehead to see the scar, "It's nice."

Nick held his breath. Ash was so close to him. This was torture.

**His nose was broken and by the looks of it, his jaw might be too. If not broken, they'd pounded it real good. Blood poured from his shoulder where he'd been shot. **

"You must have looked fabulous," Mark smiled.

"Oh yeah. Channing Tatum was jealous," Nick rolled his eyes.

**Kyrian carried him to his car so that he could get him to the hospital before he bled out and died. **

"Brutally honest," Cherise cringed.

**Kyrian paced the waiting room, where several dozen other people sat in various states of agitation and illness. **

"Gross," Bubba scrunched up his nose.

**It'd been almost two hours since he'd handed the teenager over to the staff and still no word about the kid he'd found. **

"Inconsiderate, " Kody mumbled.

**Was he even still alive?**

"Way to have faith," Nick said, wide eyed.

**Checking his watch, he growled. He really didn't have time to stay here, waiting...**

"You didn't like me, did you?" Nick asked.

Kyrian rolled his eyes, "You know that's not true."

**He had important duties to attend to and, with luck, more lives to save before dawn. **

"You're like Batman," Mark stated.

"And I'm his sidekick, Robin," Ash smiled.

Nick definitely liked Robin more than Batman now.

**"What are you doing here, General?" **

Oh shit, Ash thought.

**He froze at the deep, thickly accented voice. **

One that Nick loved. Did he really just think that..

Kyrian honestly wanted to skip the next sentence, but one look at Ash, he knew he had to.

**Since Acheron was an eleven-thousand-year old omnipotent immortal. **

The mortals in the room were so confused. Was this a joke?

Caleb gasped. Oh shit.

Adrian hissed. He fucking knew it. He had felt it.

Ash stood up, "I know you're confused. Your questions will probably be answered later on, but yes I am immortal. It's something two people in this room knew about it."

Nick stood up beside him, reaching up to put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "I knew. It doesn't make him any less of a person. Or who he is."

"I agree," Kyrian chimed.

"Nick, honey, get away from them. They are crazy," Cherise warned.

"No, mom, it's the truth," Nick yelped.

"Nick, this is insane. We're going home," she went to grab him, but Nick grabbed onto Ash's hand.

"You still can't believe me! You can leave! I'm staying. Ash is my friend. He isn't crazy! It's true!" Nick yelled, squeezing Ash's hand.

Electricity ran up Ash's arm. Nick's fingers were intertwined with his and nothing felt better.

Cherise was taken back. Nick was defending a lunatic. This was insane. She could leave him here in the house of insane people. So she cleared her throat and returned to her seat.

Nick exhaled deeply. This book was going to be a battle with everyone.

Ash gave Nick's hand a comforting squeeze. He pulled him down to sit, keeping Nick's hand in his own.

Nick didn't pull his hand away. It just felt right to hold onto Ash. It felt like Ash was the only one giving him comfort now.


	7. Chapter 7

Kyrian sat there, soaking in the awkwardness before continuing the book that was already tearing a family apart.

**Acheron was the last person Kyrian had expected to find in a hospital. Not like the man could ever break a bone or get sick.**

Well he must be very healthy, Cherise thought, who is still angry at Nick believing the crap they feed him with.

**He turned around the slowly to find Acheron just inside the doorway. At 6 foot 8 with dark green hair and dressed in black Goth gear complete with a spiked leather motorcycle jacket, he was an impressive sight that made everyone who saw him swallow in fear.**

"Yeah, but he's easy on the eyes," Nick winked and laughed.

I might actually die, Ash though. Nick had to be a tease.

**But it wasn't just to type that gave people cause. It was the lethal aura of I'll-kick-your-butt-so-hard-your-ancestors'-ears-will-ring. Anyone who came near him could feel the earthly power that bled from the pores of this particular...**

**Being.**

Adrian growled. He should have known. He should have felt it in his being. The kid was weakening him.

**"What are you doing here?" Kyrian asked.**

**His eyes completely shielded by a pair of opaque Predator sunglasses even though it was almost midnight, Acheron on cut loose with a lopsided that antagonized him. "I asked you first."**

That's lopsided grin that Nick loved about him. It had a boyish charm to it.

**If it'd been anyone other than Acheron making that smart-aleck comment, Kyrian would give him a higher dose of attitude.**

"Ooo, attitude," Caleb smirked.

**But attitude didn't work on Acheron. It just pissed him off, which was never a good thing.**

"What? I've been going at this all wrong. I thought he loved attitude," Nick gasped.

"You're lucky I've learned a little bit about patience over the years," Ash said, squeezing Nick's hand.

**"I found a kid getting a major ass-whipping on the street. I don't know who he is but I don't want to leave him here without an adult to watch over him. He was pretty badly mangled in the fight and not old enough to be left alone."**

"Young adult," Nick grumbled.

**Acheron tilted his head as if he was listening to voices only he could hear. Kyrian hated whenever he did that. It creeped him out to think what all whispered to the ancient being. Most of all, it creeped him out to think all the men knew about him that Kyrian had never told him...**

Ash just shrugged at Kyrian. "Shit happens."

Kyrian sighed. Damn his powers.

**"Name's Gautier. Nick Gautier. He's a fourteen-year-old student at St. Richard's High School on Chartres who lives in the Lower Ninth on Claiborne Ave."**

**Kyrian was impressed. "You know him?"**

**There was no hint of emotion from Acheron. "Never seen him before."**

"Now he's never leaving your life," Caleb and Kody groaned.

Ash didn't really mind that much.

**That cocky grin returned to irritate Kyrian. "I know lots of things, General."**

Ash flashed Kyrian his famous grin. Kyrian growled and flipped Ash off. It only strengthened the grin.

**Acheron held his hand up and an piece of paper appeared out of nowhere between his fingers. He held it put to him. "His mother's an exotic dancer named Cherise Gautier. You can reach her here. But be warned."**

Caleb laughed. "I love how everyone fears, Ms.G."

She smiled softly at Caleb. He was a real good kid. She loved him like her he was her second son.

**"She has a sharp tongue where her son's concerned and of she thinks you've hurt him or caused him to be hurt... she's going for blood."**

Cherise nodded. That was a fair enough description. Mennie giggled next to her.

**Kyrian took the paper from his hand. "I'd ask you about those Jedi mind tricks of yours, but I know you won't answer."**

Nick thought a little. He honestly didn't even know Ash that well. Imagine if he did. These... Stirrings would be much stronger.

**Acheron tucked his hands into the pockets of his scuffed jacket that had two chains wrapped around the shoulder of it. "No comment, but I will say this." He paused before he spoke again. "Nick isn't Jason. It's a different time and place, General. Don't let the past ruin your future."**

Jason...

**"Meaning, what, of great Yoda?"**

**Acheron didn't elaborate.**

"He never does , Kyrian," Nick huffed. Nick wanted to cross his arms over his chest, but that meant letting go of Ash's hand.. He could live without crossing his arms.

**"You take care of the kid. I'll take of your patrol tonight. I could use the target practice."**

"Look, he already cares," Ambrose mumbled. Just because he gave Nick his blessing about Ash doesn't mean he was happy about Nick. Sooner or later Nick might understand.

**"Thanks for understanding." After all, Acheron was his boss and could easily reamed him for not doing his duties.**

Caleb and Nick giggled. "Kyrian has duties."

"Are you guys 5?" Kody raised an eyebrow.

"We might be," Nick winked at Caleb.

**Acheron inclined his head before he made his way out the room and through the double doors that led to the parking lot. And with him went that powerful charge in the air.**

"He was charging the Earth," Bubba laughed. Not even Mark got it.

**Yeah, Acheron was one scary SOB.**

"Super outrageous buddy!" Nick shouted.

Everyone laughed. The things that kid came up with were unbelievable.

Ash smiled lovingly at Nick. Cherise stared at Ash. She knew what was happening. She wanted to stop it.

**But Kyrian wasn't exactly comforting himself. Acheron had trained him and he'd been a master pupil, especially when it came to killing things that shouldn't be living in the first place.**

"But you are the same age," Cherise whispered. They must have been kids.. Must have been.

**Glancing at the number in his hand, he pulled his phone out and called Nick's mom.**

"Ooo, the feared Cherise," Mark smiled.

-PageBreak-

**Nick groaned as he blinked open his...**

**Eye.**

Caleb smiled. Man, he wished he saw Nick like that. Must have been hilarious.

**Uh, gah, what happened? His head was throbbing and one eye had something over it that prevented him from opening it. Please don't tell me I've put out an eye. His mom would flip sideways. It was her biggest fear.**

"Mine is getting eaten by alligators in the buayo," Bubba sighed, Mark nodded.

**Don't play with that fill-in-the-blank, Nick. You could lose an eye.**

Cherise smiled. She always wanted Nick to be the handsome man he was meant to be and losing an eye wouldn't help.

**It was her favorite rant no matter what object he touched, and she'd kill him if he was now a cyclops.**

"You'd have an edgy look," Kody batted her eyelashes at Nick.

He tried to hide the fact that he curled his lips up in disgust. He squeezed Ash's hand, his knuckles might have been white.

**God, I'll never get a girlfriend now. Women don't date freaks.**

"Freaky woman do," Caleb winked.

"Like Tabitha," Nick shuddered. She was a different kind of crazy.

**"Careful, kid."**

"Way to make an entrance. I would have gone for something more dramatic," Ash said, wiggling his fingers in the air.

**Nick paused as he realized he was in a hospital room. He tried to sit up, but someone stopped him. His panic increased as he recognized the blond man from the fight. "Where am I?"**

"Places," Adrian mumbled. He was incredible bored. This crap was nothing special.

**"Hospital."**

**"Really? No kidding? And here I thought I was at McDonald's."**

"Can't contain your sarcasm can you?" Ash looked at Nick.

"Did you just meet me?" Nick flashed him a dazzling smile.

**Nick glared at the stupid answer. "I can't be here. We can't afford it."**

**The man ignored his rampant sarcasm, keeping his features completely impassive. "Don't worry about the price. It's on me."**

"Mm," Bubba glared at Kyrian. That was creepy to the max.

**Yeah, right. "We don't take charity." Nick winced as pain tore through his skull and he realized his arm was in a sling.**

"You're really late. That's the first thing I would've noticed," Caleb rolled his eyes.

"You try getting shot," Nick glared at him.

**Don't you dare break a bone, Nicky. I can't afford no doctor bill like that. Whatever you do, don't get hurt.**

**Nick felt ill over everything that'd happened. "My mom's going to kill me."**

Caleb snickered. He never loved Ms. G more.

**"I doubt it."**

**If the stranger only knew... "Yeah, well, I don't. I happen to have known the woman since the day I was born and she's going to beat me until I bleed."**

"Yes, I would have," Cherise nodded.

Nick cringed as he realized if his mom knew what he did back then.

**He looked up at the stranger who'd saved his life.**

**He was huge.**

"Everyone in New Orleans is huge, Nick!" Bubba shouted, his accent coming out thicker.

**Probably around six-four with short blond hair, he was dressed all in black. High-end black. Nice pants, Ferragamo boots and, unless Nick missed his guess, the button-down shirt was silk with leather cuffs and collar- not that fake stuff they sold at the Dollar Store where he and his mom bought clothes.**

"He got this from one eye," Kyrian stated.

"I know my stuff," Nick smiled.

**As for his coat, the leather was so soft, it didn't even make that crackling leather sound.**

**This guy was definitely loaded.**

"That's why Nick likes you so much," Ash said.

"He only likes you for your cars," Kyrian shot back.

Nick squeezed Ash's hand, hopefully convincing him that wasn't the only reason he liked him. There were a lot more reasons.

**"Why can't I move my arm?" Nick was starting to panic.**

**"You were shot."**

**"Where?"**

**"Your shoulder."**

Cherise frowned. She never liked this part of Nick's younger years. It still made her scared out of her mind.

**Before Nick could say another word, he heard his mother's distressed cry.**

"This is where the fun happens," Caleb smiled.

**From the side where his vision was blocked, she appeared and wrapped her arms around him.**

**"Oh my God, baby. Are you alright?" She bawled as she saw the bandage on his head and over his eye.**

Now Adrian hated this for obvious reasons. He felt like Cherise would be upset a lot in this book. His patience was already wearing thin with the kid.

**"What did they do to you? Why weren't you at home like I told you? Dammit, Nicky, why don't you ever listen to me? Just once in your life!"**

Nick sighed. God, he absolutely hated this time. It's when he felt alone in the world, but now as he felt his hand being held by someone who actually cared about him, he didn't feel so alone.

**"It wasn't his fault."**

**His mother released him instantly. She turned toward the stranger, who was still in the far corner of the room. "Who are you and why are you here?"**

"The kraken has been unleashed," Caleb smiled.

"I love Fat Amy!" Nick laughed.

Ash smiled because he remembered the day Nick dragged him to see that movie because Kody had been busy. He had actually enjoyed himself.

**He held his hand out to her. "Kyrian Hunter. I'm the one who called you."**

Cherise remembered her appreciation that day. She still appreciated that he had come into their lives to help them for the better.

**She shook his hand. There was a stark contrast between her tan secondhand frayed wool coat, cheap white vinyl boots, and the red sequined polyester skirt Nick knew belonged to one of her dancing outfits.**

Cherise remembered how she hated that job. She always thought she could amount to more as a kid, but never had she imagined having a great kid.

**His tiny mother was a beautiful woman, but the heavy, overdone stage makeup made her look a lot older than her twenty-eight years and he hated when she teased her blond hair out for the shows. It made her look cheap and his mom was anything but.**

Nick smiled. He meant every single word. His mom was his world. No demon in the world could change that.

**"Thank you for that, Mr. Hunter. Where did you find him again?"**

**Nick panicked. If Kyrian told her where he was when he'd been shot, she'd shoot him again for good measure.**

Cherise gasped. That was a bit excessive.

"I'd like to see that," Caleb smiled.

**"He was in the Quarter, trying to protect an old couple from being mugged. They got away and the scum who'd held them up was beating on him when I saw them and stopped it."**

**Tears glistened in her eyes. "You saved my baby?"**

**Kyrian nodded.**

**She sobbed even harder.**

Adrian really wanted to disappear, but some magic, stronger than his, was keeping him here.

**Nick felt like total crap. It was a good thing his dad wasn't here. He'd cut his throat for upsetting her like this.**

Nick glanced over at Adrian expecting him to be seething, but his face held no emotion.

**"Don't cry, Mom. I'm so sorry I got shot. I should have done what you said and gone home... I'm just so sorry"**

Nick looked down. He wished he would have died then. It would have saved a lot of people a lot of trouble.

Ash wanted to do more than hold hands with Nick, but he thought he might be overstepping it.

**She wiped her cheeks where her makeup was now streaked by the tears. "You didn't do nothing wrong, baby. You're a hero. A wonderful hero and I couldn't be prouder of you."**

Cherise's mouth was sour. She wanted to take back those words, but he righted himself. He is a hero who lost himself.

**Nick winced at the lie. He wasn't a hero. I'm a hoodlum... just like my scum-sucking father.**

Nick winced. God, he might get beaten by the end of the book.

**He met Kyrian's gaze and something in his eyes made him think that Kyrian might actually know the truth. If he did, he didn't bust him for it, which only made Nick feel all the worse.**

Kyrian shrugged, "I didn't want you to die."

Nick laughed, "Aw you care."

**His mother drew in a ragged breath. "The doctor told me you'd have to stay here for a few days, maybe a week or more. I don't know how we're going to afford-"**

**"Don't worry about it. I'm taking care of the bill."**

"Creepy," Mark stated.

**She narrowed her eyes at Kyrian. "I can't let you do that."**

"You have a knack for unleashing the beast," Caleb smiled.

**"It's alright. Least I can do for him. There aren't many kids his age who'd take a bullet to keep a stranger safe."**

"Can I be anymore amazing!" Nick smiled.

"Ok, Chandler," Ash smirked.

**Still, she looked doubtful.**

"Of course. That's weird," Bubba said.

**Kyrian offered her a kind, tight-lipped smile. "I have money, Mrs. Gautier." Wow, unlike Peters, he didn't sneer her name. He actually said it like he respected her.**

"She was a dancer , raising a numskull like you. I have to have some respect for her," Kyrian smiled.

"Numskull? You mean street smart?" Nick said.

"No. There wasn't anything smart about what you did." Cherise snapped.

Nick looked down in shame. She wasn't going to let him live that down now.

**"And no one to spend it on. Trust me. You're not taking a dime from me or my family that'll be missed."**

**She bit her lip. "That's mighty kind of you. Especially after everything you've already done getting him here and all."**

"She's being nice. She means get the fuck out," Caleb said.

**She took Nick's uninjured hand into hers and squeezed it. "I can't thank you enough for saving my baby, Mr. Hunter. Nicky's all I got in this world. I'd die if anything ever happened to him."**

Nick sighed. She probably didn't mean that now that she knew he was just like Adrian.

Ash rubbed soothing circles into Nick's hand. Cherise was all Nick had and for her to turn her back to Nick was killing him.

**Something dark flitted through Kyrian's eyes that reminded Nick of a ghost tormenting him. Some past pain that his mother's words conjured up.**

Kyrian's eyes widened. "You're a smart kid."

"Observant," Nick shrugged. He still didn't know much of Kyrian's past.

**Kyrian pulled out his wallet and opened it. "This is my number." He gave his mother a small business card. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call me! Any time, day or night. I don't sleep much so don't worry about disturbing me."**

Nick laughed. Wait until his mom found out about the crap Kyrian feed her.

**She tried to give it back, but Kyrian wouldn't allow it.**

**"Look," he said firmly. "I know you don't know me or trust me at all. I don't blame you. But there are people in the world who can give without asking for anything back. I'm one of them."**

"I'm having second thoughts about you," Bubba and Mark narrowed their eyes.

**She shook her head. "And I know how much stuff like this costs. I can't take that kind of money from you or anyone else. Ever."**

**Kyrian's dark brown gaze went to Nick. "Then let him work it off."**

"And the adventure begins," Caleb said.

**Nick sputtered indignantly. "Excuse me?"**

**They ignored him.**

Ash laughed. "Your opinion doesn't matter right now."

"My opinion always matters!" Nick squeaked.

**"Don't be ridiculous," his mom said. "It'd take him forever to earn this kind of money back."**

**Uh, yeah... Last thing Nick wanted was to be indentured over a doctor bill.**

"Oh, Nick. You owe me a lot, and you're worried about a doctor bill," Caleb smirked.

"It's your duty," Nick stuck his tongue out.

Adrian jumped up. Malphas told him. He was going to pay.

Nick and Caleb swallowed hard. Crap..

**Kyrian returned his wallet to his pocket.**

"That's important," Ambrose said.

"Hey! You're the same," Nick smirked.

Ambrose laughed. Everyone thought they were crazy.

**"Then what do you want to do? Have the hospital turn him out into the street before he's fully healed? Wounds like that, he could get gangrene and lose a limb or die."**

"Kyrian doesn't lack honesty," Nick grumbled.

**Hopeless despair glistened in her blue eyes and the sight kicked Nick straight in the gut.**

Just the thought of it kicked Adrian in the gut. God that kid deserved another beating.

**"Mrs. Gautier..." A tic worked in Kyrian's jaw.**

"You just love pointing out useless things," Caleb said. It was extremely frustrating.

**"I know you can't tell it by looking at me, but I've had a hard life. I've lost everyone who was ever important to me and I know what it's like to be kicked hard when you're down. You've got a great kid there. He deserves a chance. Let him work for me, part time, afterschool for a year, and we'll call it even."**

Ash sighed. It was true. He knew every detail of it. Even though he wasn't suppose to, he wish he didn't.

**She glanced at Nick, who wasn't so sold on this idea. "Doing what?"**

**"Washing my car. Running errands."**

**His mom scowled. "What kind of errands?"**

**"Yeah," Nick interjected, "I ain't no babysitter or dog walker."**

Caleb laughed. "You need to learn to shut your mouth"

"It's out of my control," Nick shrugged.

**Kyrian rolled his eyes. "I don't have kids or a dog." He returned his gaze to Nick's mom. "He'd pick up groceries. Some dry cleaning. He can work with my groundskeeper trimming hedges or help my housekeeper clean the outside windows. Nothing dangerous or illegal."**

Nick smiled. He was pretty sure shopping for swords was illegal. Or handling sharp things.

**That didn't sound too bad, but Nick already had a job that he liked most days. "What about Ms. Liza, Mom? Who'll help her in her store?"**

**Kyrian frowned at him. "Liza Dunnigan?"**

**"You know her?" Nick asked in surprise.**

**Another tight-lipped grin broke over his face. "Yeah. We go way back. And I think she'd understand if you worked for me for a while."**

She sells him the swords and crap. New Orleans was a demon and magic hot spot.

**His mom's hand tightened on his. "I don't know... what do you think, Nicky?"**

**Nick looked at the sling on his arm. There really was no way they could afford this bill. If Kyrian would pay and his mom wouldn't have to suffer...**

Cherise smiled softly. He only ever thought of her. She was such a horrible mother. Giving her son mixed signals and making him feel lower than he already was.

**"As long as he's not a pervert and Liza doesn't mind, I can work for him, I guess."**

**Kyrian laughed. "I'm not a pervert."**

**"You better not be 'cause I'll quit if you are."**

"And he'd pay it anyways or else the police would have something to say about it," Nick stated.

**Kyrian shook his head. "So it's settled?"**

**Indecision played in his mom's gaze before she nodded. "Thank you."**

"This was when everything in life changed," Nick mumbled.

Ambrose nodded softly. A kid should never have to go through this.

**"No problem. Now if you two don't mind, I have an appointment I need to keep."**

**Nick frowned.**

**"This late?" his mom asked suspiciously.**

"You hear that, Mark?" Bubba nudged him.

"Mhmm," Mark narrowed his eyes.

**Kyrian nodded. "I do a lot of international business that requires me to work late at night. Like I said, I don't sleep much." And with that, he was gone.**

Nick tsked. So much lying.

**Now that they were alone, his mom gave him her full attention. "What do you really think?"**

**"I think I'm really glad I'm not dead and you're not killing me over getting shot and being in the hospital, running up bills we can't afford."**

I'm glad you're alive too, Ash thought.

**Her lips trembled. "Baby, how could I be mad at you for something like this? I just wish I made enough money that you didn't have to work too. If you'd been at home-"**

Nick wanted to bury his face in his hands, but Ash's hand was much more comforting than that.

**"Don't, Mom, please." The guilt of it was killing him.**

Nick was carrying a lot of guilt he didn't know she could handle.

**She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his bruised knuckles. "All right, sweetie. You just rest. Don't you worry or think about nothing except getting better." She pulled one of her black hair bands from her pocket and slicked her hair back into a sedate ponytail.**

"Guess that's all the action," Caleb sighed.

**Nick smiled, knowing she did that for him so he wouldn't be embarrassed by her over-teased hair. Then she went to the sink to wash off her makeup and pull off the fake glitter eyelashes. She was so much prettier without all that goop on her face that he didn't understand why they made her wear it.**

Nick blushed as Aunt Mennie sent him a loving smile. And blew him a kiss. She was worse than mom.

**Once she looked like his mom, again, she slid into the bed beside him and held him close.**

"Aw," Kody sighed, wishing she had her family.

**Normally, he'd be pushing her away 'cause it felt like she was stifling him. But tonight, while he ached and hurt, he was glad to have her hold him close.**

"Aww!" Caleb smiled.

Nick flipped him the bird.

**It'd always been just the two of them in this world. Team Fabulous. That's what she'd called them as far back as he could remember. **

"This isn't Project Runway," Kody smiled at Cherise.

Cherise never really like Kody and now that Nick didn't like her, Cherise didn't have any reason to be nice.

**Together they could make it through anything. She brushed his hair back from his temple and gave him a light kiss there. **

"Nick's a softie," Caleb chanted.

Nick glared at him and charged him. Knocking him off his seat, Nick pinned Caleb to the ground. Usually Caleb was a challenge, but his demon was stronger than Caleb's.

"Take it back," Nick growled, twisting Caleb's arm.

Caleb groaned, but didn't give in. Hold your own, Malphas.

Nick twisted his arm further, almost making Caleb cry out.

"Fine!" Caleb shouted.

Nick smiled triumphantly. Casually walking back to his seat and cradling Ash's hand in his own.

Caleb scowled as he held onto his shoulder. Oh, Nick was gonna pay. The war had begun.

**"You are my little man, Nickyboo. And I'm so grateful I have you. You're the only thing I've ever done right in my entire life and if anything ever happened to you, they'd have to dig two graves 'cause I couldn't live a single day without my baby beside me." **

Kody held tears at bay. Nick had all the family he needed in that woman. And she had no one. How was that fair?

**Her words almost succeeded in making his eyes tear up, but he was too tough for that. Nothing could make him cry. Nothing. "I love you, Mom." **

Caleb wanted to say something, but decided to stay on Nick's good side until his plan could go into effect.

**"I love you too baby. Now go to sleep. You need to get better so I can beat your butt for getting hurt." **

Caleb snickered. He really wish she would.

**Smiling at her empty threat, Nick closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep. His mind kept replaying the look on Alan's face as he'd pulled the trigger. The creep had tried to kill him...**

Nick growled. Never had he been so angry before. It was the first time he ever felt betrayed. He should have learned from it.

**And if it was the last thing he did, he was going to get even. As his dad would say, Our blood don't run. Sometimes we want to. Sometimes we ought to. But we don't ever run from anyone or anything. **

Adrian grunted. At least the kid could learn his lessons.

**Next time he met up with Alan's "crew" they were going to feel the full wrath of Nick Gautier... **

"Mr. Hunter?" Rosa said from the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"I made sandwiches for everyone. If anyone is hungry" she said sweetly.

Caleb booked it to the kitchen. Nick was about to follow him when his mother stopped him.

"Nicky? I wanted to talk to you," she said, timidly.

Nick nervously looked at Ash, who squeezed his hand, reassuringly. Nick took a deep breath and nodded.

She lead him to her room and closed the door.

"Nicky..."

**Author's Note:**

Guys! I made the horrible mistake of looking up Chronicles of Nick on Pinterest! And I got major spoilers and now I want to die! I mean why would Nick hate Ash? Cherise dies! :'( Adrian dies thank god. And he becomes a Dark Hunter! I'm gonna pass out! Ash has a twin brother! Do we even know who Jason is yet?! Btw you're welcome for the update. Chapter 2 is fin! Chapter 3 is next.


	8. Chapter 8

Nick stood nervously in front of his mother. This is probably where she showed her disgust for him. This is probably where he loses his only family. Nick didn't know how much of her words he could take if she was going to insult him.

"Nicky... I just wanted to say I was sorry," Nick snapped his head up. She was apologizing. This day could probably turn around now.

"I know this must be hard for you. Me being the way I am probably doesn't help. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm trying to get better at this," her eyes were starting to water and Nick couldn't stand it. She'd be crying so much this past day and he hated that he was the cause of it.

"Ma, please. Don't," Nick somehow choked that out, clearing his voice he tried again. "I'm not the easiest kid, I know that. I'm sorry I was such a idiot sometimes. I'm sorry for keeping things from you."

"No, baby. I'm sorry. I have to be more understanding. You're just a kid," she gently reached up to put a hand on his cheek.

Nick felt safe then. His mother had forgiven him. It was probably the greatest thing ever. He felt like nothing could bring him down at the moment. Stronger than ever now that he had his family. Most of them weren't blood, but it was all he needed.

"Can we get sandwiches now?" Nick asked gently.

Cherise smiled, lovingly. "Of course, Nicky."

She kissed him on the cheek softly before leading him back to the kitchen.

Adrian was relieved Cherise can back with no tears in her eyes. Only a smile graced her beautiful lips. Adrian was a goner.. He felt it.

Ash smiled at Nick as he came to stand next to him. Nick stole the sandwich Ash had in his hand and ate it. It earned him a half-assed glare.

Caleb watched them with a smirk on his face. He could see it now. His revenge on Nick could be easier than he thought. Ash was his weakness.. Perfection.

Mennie smiled as Cher and Nick walked into the room, happy. She couldn't stand to see them so upset. They were a perfect little family even if it didn't seem like it. But they had love and that was all a family ever needed. She didn't just want to see it break.

Cherise eyed Ambrose. She still didn't understand why he was here or why she had never met him. It was time for an interrogation.

"So, Ambrose, what do you help Nick with?"

Ambrose was startled. He looked to Nick for help, but saw he was too distracted laughing at something Ash said. Ambrose rolled his eyes. Young love...

Ambrose cleared his throat. "I'm more of a student teacher for his science class. I just observe and help whenever I can. I'm training to be a teacher."

Cherise narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure if that was the truth or not.

Ambrose gulped. He knew that look. It was judgment time... Maybe he would pass.

"Well, Nick seems to trust you," he could breath again.

"I was in a similar situation as him growing up. I can relate to the struggles in his life," Ambrose shrugged it off.

"I hope to get to know you better," Cherise walked over to Mennie.

That was too close. Ambrose thought. Thank god he was an excellent liar.

Kyrian cleared his throat trying to get everyone's attention. "I believe it's time to get back to business."

Nick sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

Ash gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Nick was so grateful for it too.

They returned to their earlier spots, with Nick's hand cradled in Ash's again.

"Who wants to read the next chapter?"

"I will!" Kody's hand shot up.

Nick raised his eyebrows at her eagerness. Maybe something he didn't know about happened here.

"Chapter 3..."

**-PageBreak-**

Guys I did it! Another chapter up! More of a filler than anything. I just needed to give you guys something! Its probably horrid. I did it in like 20 minutes. Im so eager for Ash/Nick but I know secrets need to come out first and I hate it! But whatever. All in good time my children. Anyways. I didn't even run this through my editor because I was so hungry for this update. See y'all later! I LOVE ALL OF YOU EQUALLY!


	9. Chapter 9

**Nick learned a new lesson in misery as he lay in bed, alone, in the hospital for days on end, bored out of his mind. **

Misery had been so simple back then. It hadn't hurt as much as it does now. Ambrose thought.

**His mom stayed with him as much as she could, as did Menyara, but they couldn't be here constantly. Kyrian would stop in and visit at night and some of the dancers from his mom's club in the daytime. **

"Psh! And nobody cared about you back then, Gauiter?" Caleb said, sassily.

All Nick did was shrug. It was different somehow. He only looked at the negative back then. Now he knew how to see the good things in his life. It made him more than happy since things weren't exactly as great as they could be.

**Still, he spent most of the time by himself. **

**Scariest part? **

**School was starting to look good. **

Gasps sounded all around the room.

"Come on guys! I'm not that bad!" Nick whined.

"You're right. You're worse," Ash laughed with everyone, while Nick pouted like a child.

**He shivered in revulsion of that awful thought. **

**"Hi... um, Nick, wasn't it?"**

Crap, Nick thought. It was time to look like a complete idiot. He squeezed Ash's hand tighter. It didn't go unnoticed by Cherise and Kyrian.

** He opened his eye to find Nekoda of all people in the doorway. With her hair pulled back into a thick ponytail and dress in a volunteer's uniform, she came deeper into the room. **

**Heat stung his cheeks as she looked at his ragged state of ick. Nick cleared his throat. "Yeah, it's me, but I like to think I looked better when we met. 'Cause right now, I'm pretty much hogging all the ugly." **

"Only then? Or always?" Mark laughed.

"Look Mark, I know you're just jealous that I am good-looking and always smell nice, but please try to keep it to yourself. Thank you," Nick smirked at him.

"Damn you for being a sass master," Mark mumbled. Nick grinned in triumph.

**She laughed. "No offense, but yeah, you did look a bit better. But I have to say you really rock the crazy headgear you have going right now. Not an easy thing to do to make ****_that _****look good." She winked at him. **

"Whore," Caleb staged coughed.

Nick had to stifle a laugh, while Kody glared at them both. They just didn't understand.

Cherise wanted to scold both of them, but thought maybe that one could slide...

**He could only imagine how foul he appeared. His head was still wrapped up, his exposed eye bruised and swollen. One shoulder was in a sling to keep it still and the other arm attached to monitors and an IV. He had a faded-out hospital gown that was freckled with the oh-so-manly-looking flowers all over it. Gah, at this point, he'd rather be back in his orange Hawaiian shirt. **

"Woah! Nick, that is crazy talk!" Caleb stated, but one look at Ms. Gautier and he wished he could take it back.

"Maybe you and I should go shopping one day, Caleb," Cherise said.

"YES!" Nick shouted, a bit too loud.

**All he needed to look like a bigger goober was to drool on himself. Which he might do if she kept talking to him.**

Ash looked over at Nick, who seemed disgusted with himself. What happened between those two?

**She stopped next to his bed and glanced over all the monitors that beeped and hummed. "So what happened to you?" **

**"I got shot."**

"You're so blunt! Like it doesn't bother you," Kody stated.

"Well, what can I say?" All Nick did was look at her. She felt something in his eyes, she knew she shouldn't bother him from now on.

**Her brows arched high. "In the eye? Is that why it's covered?"**

"Are you that stupid?! " Bubba practically yelled. "If he got shot in the eye there would be some brain damage and he wouldn't have been talking to you! Get yourself together, girl."

This time Nick couldn't hide the laughter. He didn't stop until his side was screaming in agony. He didn't care if he hurt her feelings either.

**"No. I got hit with a board, a fist, a foot, and probably a few other things. There's a bunch of stitches above my eye. Doc says the bandage for that can come off tomorrow. I'm sure I'll look even better then." His voice was thick with sarcasm. **

"That is my second language if you didn't know," Nick stated.

"Really? We were all under the impression that you didn't stoop yourself to those low levels," Ash said, you could practically feel the sarcasm leaving his mouth.

You bother me," Nick pouted.

"Feeling is mutral."

More than one type of feeling, Kyrian thought.

**"I was clipped in the shoulder." **

**"Oh," she said, calming down as she scowled at his sling. "Did it hurt?"**

Bubba was so close to exploding again, but decided he'd wait till strike three to put her away. This girl needed some common sense.

**He wanted to say no, duh, but his common sense caught his tongue before he insulted her.**

"Wait! Hold the phone," Caleb pointed at Nick, "You have common sense?"

"Screw you!"

"You'd like to," Caleb smirked. "Wait I forgot you saved that for Ash."

Nick turned the brightest red imaginable, while Ash hoped he looked calm and collected.

The smirk stayed plastered on Caleb's face. This was only the beginning of his revenge.

** Even though it still hurt, he straightened up into his tough posture. "Nah. I took it like a man."**

Kyrian had to give the kid props because he did. But laughed anyways because now he knows that tough kid is just a goofball.

**She shook her head at him and didn't comment on his bravado. "So why did you get shot? One of your witticisms go awry?"**

Adrian would problem shot him if the kid opened his mouth one more time. Why couldn't he get out of here?

**Nick wasn't sure how to answer that. He didn't want to take credit for something he hadn't really done- like saving people he'd helped put in harm's way. So he settled on a lesser truth. "Wrong place. Real wrong time." **

**"Did you see who shot you?" **

**"No," he lied. **

Cherise gasped. Oh hell no..

**He hadn't even told the police who it was even though they'd bugged him several times. Rule one on the street: Narcs don't live long. Besides, he intended to settle this score on his own and the last thing he wanted was for Alan and group to be protected by prison walls when he went for them. **

**This was going to be between "friends."**

Adrian smirked at this. Maybe he did teach that worthless piece of crap a thing or tso. It was, of course, in his blood.

Cherise on the otherhand, "Nicholas! How dare you? You can't be doing that to anyone! You need to follow the justice system! You shouldn't be thinking like that."

Nick didn't have the energy to deal with that at the moment. So he just stared at her. Nothing he could do about it now.

**"Like they say in the movies and shows, it all happened so fast..." **

**She fretted over him. "Well, I'm sorry you got shot. It explains why I haven't seen you in school." **

**His ears perked up at that. She'd been looking for him? **

Caleb snorted. Of course she had been looking for him.

Nick sighed seeing that look on Caleb's face. _Bro, stop blaming yourself. It's my fault too. _Nick told him telepathically.

_It's hard, man. Knowing you could've saves your best friend, but failed. _

Nick just sighed again. He couldn't stop making him feel guilty. Caleb would have to learn how to forgive himself.

**_Man, for that news, I'd take a bullet any day. _****It was all he could do not to give her a goofy grin.**

Thats what love does to you, Kyrian thought. It makes you want to die a very painful death.

**She leaned closer. "But I'm happy you lived and that you're okay." **

**"Yeah, me too. It would have really cramped my future plans had I died..." He flashed what he hoped was a charming smile at her then changed the topic.**

Nick hated just about everything right now. The only thing he took comfort in was the feel of Ash's calloused hand in his. He was tempted to rest his head on Ash's broad shoulders, but chickened out. Not just yet.

**"So you work here?"**

**"Volunteer. Twice a week," she corrected. "I'm told things like this look good on a college application."**

Cherise thought that was very smart of the girl, but Kody had lost what little respect Cherise had for her when she broke her son's heart.

**Wow, she was worried about that already? It made him feel like a slacker. "We're only in the ninth grade." **

**She shrugged. "Yeah, but every year from now until graduation matters and everything we do affects if and where we get in. So I'm trying to make a difference." **

**"Gah, you sound like my mom."**

Cherise gave Nick a slight glare. "I do not sound like that."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course not and Aunt Mennie doesn't have an accent."

Mennie laughed.

**"Sorry." She wrinkled her nose up in the most adorable way. He didn't know why, but it made his stomach tighten and heat flood his cheeks- if he kept that up, he'd be able to rent himself out as a lighthouse at night.**

Ash rolled his eyes. This part wasn't exactly his favorite either. Nick and that girl weren't right. They didn't give off a good aura.

Ambrose was still confused by what Kody and Nick had. He should have felt something for Kody if Nick had been so head over heels for her like he claimed. Yet he felt nothing...

**"So can I get you something to drink?" she asked. "Some ice? I have magazines and books on my cart if you want something to read." **

**"I'd kill for Nintendo."**

"Wouldn't we all?" Mark said.

**She laughed. "No Nintendo on the cart. Sorry." **

**"You got any manga?"**

"Oh man, what I wouldn't give for a good manga.." Ash smiled.

Finally, Nick thought.

**"Manga?" She scowled. "What's that?" **

**Crap. It was too much to hope she'd share some of his more unusual interests. **

"You're crazy," Ash said to Kody. "Those are the best."

Kody blushed. Was she the only one who didn't like them?

**"Japanese comic books. I'm addicted to them." **

**"No, sorry again. I do have some Batman and Spider-Man if you're interested?"**

"Spider-Man is gay!" Caleb shouted.

"You're gay," Nick mumbled.

"Maybe you should hold your tongue on who you call gay," Caleb tsked.

Everyone grew amazingly quiet. You could practically hear the anger sizzling off of Nick. Caleb was definitely not getting away with that one and he knew that. Maybe his idea for revenge wasn't very smart.

Ambrose cleared his throat. "Um, well, continue."

Kody shifted in her seat awkwardly, but read on.

**"That'd be great." They were a lot shorter than the manga, but at least it'd eat up a couple minutes while he read through them. "You got any science fiction or fantasy?" **

**"We have a couple of Dune books."**

**"Now that I could definitely go for."**

"You were one nerdy kid, " Ash laughed.

"You're such a bully," Nick pouted. Why did he have to be teased endlessly?

**She smiled. "I'll be right back." **

**Nick watched as she walked out of the room with a shake in her hips that ought to be illegal and in some states probably was. She really was beautiful, He didn't know what it was about her hair, but it really made him want to touch it. It looked so soft and smooth. It probably smelled good too. **

**Just like her skin.**

Nick decided he had nothing to lose and hid his face in Ash's shoulder. This was the worst day of his life.

Kyrian smirked at Ash, who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

Kody tried to hide her blush behind the book, but failed miserably.

Caleb gagged.

For some reason, unknown to Adrian, his mind had drifted to Cherise.

_**What are you think? She's so far our of your league... **_

**Girls like her didn't date loser dorks who mugged tourists. She was the kind who went on to date jocks and marry lawyers and surgeons and stuff.**

**He could just imagine the type of childhood she'd had with maids and tutors and birthday parties with presents wrapped in something other than hand-decorated grocery sacks. Her parents would probably flip out and die if they knew she was even talking to filth like him.**

You don't know anything about my life, Kody thought.

_And whose fault is that? _

Kody was frightened when she realized Nick and Caleb had heard her thoughts.

Caleb glared at her, but Nick continued to bury his face into Archeron. Her heart felt like it broke just a little bit.

**"Here you go." She returned and handed him a stack of books and comic books. **

**Nick smiled. "Bless you." **

**"Any time." She stepped back from the bed. "Well, I better get going. I still have to make my rounds and visit other patients. I promised Mrs. O'Malley that I'd play rummy with her today."**

"Ok, not to be weird, but who else thought of Thomas O'Malley the alley cat," Caleb stated.

Everyone stayed quiet.

"Just me? Ok. Cool. Um. Please move on," Caleb said, awkwardly.

**Wow, that was real sweet of her. "Okay. Thanks so much for stopping in and for the books." **

**She inclined her head to him. "Take care."**

She didn't care about him.. Nick thought. He snuggled deeper into Ash's side.

Gods help Ash..

**"You too." **

**Then she was gone. **

"Why couldn't it have been forever?" Caleb sighed.

"Shut it, Malphas!" Kody snapped.

"You'll have to kill me first! Which doesn't seem like a problem for you!"

Kody sat back in stunded silence. She couldn't believe he had stooped that low. He doesn't know you. Keep it calm, Kody thought.

"Caleb." Nick said, softly. Finally looking up from Ash's shoulder.

Caleb could tell by the way looked at him, he shouldn't have said that. She just made him so angry. Caleb tried to simmer down then. Deep breaths.

Again another awkward silence filled the room. They would kill each other by the end of this book.

Kody tried looking calm, but everyone saw the storm in her eyes.

After making sure Caleb and Kody wouldn't kill each other, Nick placed his head back on Ash's shoulder. Ash didn't mind at all.

**Nick sighed as depression set in. He hated that he was stuck here, but most of all he hated that he'd never be worthy of a girlfriend like Nekoda. He could bluster and pretend all he wanted to. It wouldn't change anything. She'd still go home to her nice house and he'd crawl back to the gutter where he'd been born.**

Cherise frowned. It was hard to believe Nick hadn't loved their little home. But what she didn't know was that now, Nick missed that place more than anything.

**Trying not to dwell on things he couldn't change, he opened a book and started reading. **

**Nick sighed and shifted, then jerked awake as he felt like he was falling out of bed. He blinked open his eye to find himself still in the hospital, alone.**

Caleb decided not to burst into song then. He needed to save his wonderful singing for a much bigger and better solo.

**Gah, this sucked. Wishing he'd slept longer than two hours, he reached for his tray to get another book and froze. There was a small box that hadn't been there before. **

**He frowned, reaching for it, then opened it up. Inside was a pink Nintendo and a small note.**

Ash's eyes widened. Did she actually care about him?

_**Sorry for the color. Pink's my thing. But I hope this'll keep you from going crazy so that you won't have to kill anyone. I figure I can do without it for a few days if it'll spare your sanity. **_

_**Get better soon, **_

_**Kody.**_

Kody swalled hard. Secrets would definitely be coming out soon.

**He stared at the note as a wave of emotion overwhelmed him. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. The box was filled with games from classic to strategy to shooters. **

**What an incredibly nice thing for her to do. It really touched him.**

Cherise and Mennie resisted the urge to 'aw' at that. They weren't suppose to like her or anything she did.

**Picking it up, he help the system in his hand. For some reason, it made him feel weirdly close to her. Systems were personal. They were an extension of yourself. From the color to the stickers... It all came from within and it was something that you kept close to you. Something you guarded and protected.**

Caleb laughed. "Wow. That was a bunch of bull crap!"

Nick just glared at Caleb. He use to be so stupid.

"Being in love causes you to be weird at times. To over think things," Kyrian quietly said.

Somehow Adrian connected to him on some level. He stole a glance at Cherise, who was concentrating on her hands very hard.

**And she'd loaned him hers. **

**Not many people would do that. Especially not someone as hot as Kody. The girl was crazy. **

**_Maybe she likes you._**

Nick snorted at that. Of course she doesn't. She doesn't give a damn about me.

**That thought made his blood race like fire through his veins. Could it be possible? **

**_She's dangerous to you. Avoid her._**

Nick nodded to Ambrose then. He had been trying to help.. Maybe he should listen more.

**He scowled at the deep, scary voice in his head. It sounded almost demonic. WTH? **

**"I am going crazy from boredom." Only lunatics would want to avoid a girl as nice and as pretty as Kody.**

"I should have been insane," Nick mumbled. His hot breath brushed Ash's shoulders, giving him chills.

Kody looked ahead at the next paragraph and froze. Oh no oh no oh no oh no.

**-PageBreak-**

Well I did it! A new chapter up! You're welcome! I'll try to be more active I promise! Ok bye! Hopefully I'll have the next part before the moth ends of the beginning of next month! Love you guys!


	10. Chapter 10

Kody gulped, but continued on with the story. Nick would have figured out anyway, he already knows. Might as well twist the knife, she thought bitterly.

**"Did he take it?"**

Nick frowned. Oh hell no. His grip on Ash's hand almost hurt. Almost.

**Nekoda tensed as she felt the air around her stirring. The power was palpable and it was one she was intimately familiar with. Sraosha. Her guide and mentor.**

Nick felt Ash tense up. Oh great, he knew him. Fan fucking tactic.

**Nekoda locked the door of the storeroom to keep anyone else in the hospital from innocently coming in and seeing Sraosha's form.**

Cherise, Bubba, and Mark were the only ones who seemed confused, but Bubba sensed something that was greater than his science could explain.

**Tall and graceful, he was so beautiful that it was hard to look straight at him. His powers were so great that they manifested as an ever-moving aura that illuminated his skin with a bright yellow glow. His long blond hair flowed around his shoulders as he narrowed his gaze on her ... a gaze that had no eyes. Only a smoky black cavity that was as frightening as it was peculiar.**

Acheron clenched his teeth. That guy was an asshole. What the fuck was going on? Even he couldn't see what was happening.

**"I left it for him," she whispered. Nick had no idea that her Nintendo allowed her to keep an eye on him so long as he was around it.**

"Are you fucking kidding me?! This is bullshit Kody! I'm so done with you! Fucking liar! You never cared about me! You don't love me!" Nick angrier and angrier. He felt himself losing control.

Adrian watched in amazement. He never thought he'd seen his offspring this way. He could practically see his demon.

Ash tightened his grip on Nick's hand, trying to pull Nick back from wherever he was.

Suddenly Nick felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked and saw Death in his true form. "Listen to my voice, kid." Nick tried, he really was.

Death continued. "We don't want to upset your mom, do we? A lot of things are going to make you lose control, I mean a lot. You can't lose your head. Think of your mom." Then Death disappeared.

Nick slowly felt his demon slip away. Ash's hand in his brought him back. The warmth and callous of his hand was a sort of comfort that Nick wanted to get use to.

Cherise had never see her son so mad. It was as if a monster was trying to crawl out of him.

Nick didn't look at Kody, he hid his face in Ash's shoulder again and Ash wasn't complainin. Caleb on the other hand was seething. Nobody would ever hurt his best friend again, no one..

**Sraosha nodded. "What do you think of this one?"**

**He was younger than the other Malachais she'd fought. More innocent. Sweet even.**

**Dont let him seduce you.**

Nick snorted. He was nowhere near seducing her. He never even wants to try again.

Kody looked at Nick sadly. She never meant to hurt him, but then again that was her job.

Adrian started to think. Kody... Nekoda. This can't possibly be her.. Or could it?

**That was the last thing she could afford to have happen. "He seems ." She had to choose her word carefully. "Different." **

**"Do you think he's the one?"**

**"I don't know." Since the dawn of time, they'd hunted for the right Malachai. The one who could turn against the dark forces that had sired it and fight with them against the Source so that she could free her brothers.**

Ash's eyes suddenly widened. Oh my gods... Nick was.. and his father.. Ash suddenly set up every wall he could think of. So much dark aura was leaving this house. He should have known when Nick quizzed him on things about the Malachai. He should have felt it from Nick's father. He slowly loosened his grip on Nick's hand, but Nick immediately gripped it tighter, as if he knew what Ash found out. Maybe he did.. Ash would have to talk to Kyrian later. Kyrian wasn't the least bit fazed. He cared so much for Nick nothing would change it.

Cherise stopped the reading suddenly. "What is all this crap? This doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom," Nick said softly, looking up from Ash's shoulder. "Everything is going to be explained soon. I don't think this book will throw everything in your face at once, but you have to trust me."

Ambrose stood. "Ms. Gautier, you really do need to trust your son. He's struggled with you believing in him for a long time. I would know." Nick smirked at that. "But he's your son, he wouldn't do anything to hurt you on purpose."

Cherise saw how sincere Ambrose was being and decided to believe him, something about that man was oddly familiar.

Ambrose sat and smiled. He'd never been able to tell his mom the truth and now as an adult he finally could. He was.. proud, a feeling that he had thought he lost.

**But to date, they had lost every Malachai they'd tried to save. The darkness within each one was more than they could resist. And who could blame them?**

**All of their bloodline was born to cause pain. Born to wield the darkest powers imaginable.**

Everyone scowled. That had to be horrible. This story or legend was pretty depressing the mortals thought.

**Just as Nekoda had been born to the light.**

**Nick was still a kid who had no idea who and what he was. But she knew exactly the kind of violence he'd been bred for.**

**And he terrified her.**

Nick chuckled, darkly. "You, the assassin and liar, are afraid of me? Good."

Kody swallowed hard. This is the Nick the world was meant to fear. This was the Nick that would destroy this world.

**"Menyara swears we can save him."**

Nick tensed. "Aunt Mennie.. How could you?" He whispered so softly, looking at his godmother with the saddest eyes she'd every seen on him.

"Nick, honey, I was just trying to protect you," She pleaded.

"Stop lying to me. Everyone just stop lying!" Nick stood suddenly and stomped up the steps. A door slammed upstairs and the room was quiet.

Mennie cried into her hands, she thought she had been doing the boy good. She felt Cherise's gentle touch. Cherise's best friend was always there for her and now it was her turn to comfort Menyara.

Ash stood to follow Nick, but Ambrose shook his head at Ash's actions. Instead, Ambrose rose and motioned for Kody to keep reading. "I'll bring him down soon. Don't worry." Ambrose promised.

Caleb spoke to Nick in his head. _Bro? _

_Not now. _Was the only response he got.

Kody choked down some tears and continued you on.

**Sraosha scoffed. "She's too close to this one. She's blind to what he really is."**

Mennie scowled. She would never let her opinion interfere with her job, but Nicholas had been the sweetest boy she'd ever met.

**Perhaps that was true, but Nekoda had no such attachment to him. "Have no fear. I'm not blind to him. His glamour doesn't charm me."**

Caleb scoffed. "Yeah his charm didn't work on you."

Kody glared at Caleb. He had no idea what she had to go through. He had no right to say that about her.

**"Make sure you don't fall victim to it. Remember, that's only one of many powers he'll possess. Powers that will work on all mortals and immortals alike. As you've seen, evil is already beginning to tempt him and that will only worsen as he matures."**

Shouting was heard upstairs. Broken sobs echoed throughput the house. No one dared speak as the seconds turned into minutes. After gods knows how long of silence, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

First Ambrose was seen, walking with his head up high and a storm in his eyes. Nick, however, didn't look as strong. His eyes were red and puffy. His knuckles were split from hitting something very hard. He'd fix Kyrian's wall later.

Nick didn't meet anyone's eyes. Not Kody, his mom, Caleb, or Ash. He merely sat in his seat again, not even attempting to grab Ash's hand. Acheron somehow knew what Nick needed and gently took his hand in his. They could talk abotu everything later, right now Nick was just this kid that needed him.

**Nekoda swallowed as she saw in her mind the events that led up to his being shot. "He pulled back before hurting them."**

**"This time. But that single act of drifting toward violence against another has unleashed his Cimmerian Magus. The dark powers are uniting now to train him. Can't you feel it?"**

Nick tuned out everything and focused on something that made his happy. Ash was still holding his hand even after he had figured out the worst part of Nick. What does that even mean?

**Yes. It permeated everything here and it sent a feral chill down her spine. There were ten lessons that had to be taught to every Malachai. Every one of them would make him stronger.**

**More corrupt.**

**It would shape him into a tool of evil that would come for her and her people and wreak absolute misery on everyone who came into contact with him.**

Acheron frowned. He was one of the people who helped do this. But he else partook in these events? Ash was frustrated that his powers weren't helping him at all. So much for being an ominous being.

**The first lesson was necromancy. But not just communication with the dead. Reanimation and control.**

**No matter how hard Nekoda tried, she couldn't see Nick becoming like the others. Surely he wouldn't embrace such a cold power.**

Not yet anyways, Adrian thought. He didn't understand why it's taking the kid so long to embrace. He embraced it as soon as he found out who he was and what he was capable of.

**You made the mistake of that thought before. She winced as she remembered his father and how wrong she'd been then. Had she struck when she'd been told to, she would have saved countless lives.**

Kody carefully looked up at Adrian and saw him looking at her. _Shit... _

So he it was her... They'd have to have a little chat later on, Adrian smiled evilly.

_My dad too? _Nick thought. More and more surprises.

**It's the light inside of you that wants to believe in the goodness of other people. Even the Malachais. She'd shown the elder Malachai mercy and he'd spat in her face and embraced his own brand of evil.**

Kody gritted her teeth. She only hoped Adrian didn't remember her of all the people he had screwed over.

**No matter what, she wouldn't be so stupid again.**

"Ha!" Caleb barked.

**"Have no fear, Sraosha. I've learned from my mistake. This time, I won't fail. If we can't turn him, I will kill him."**

Nick glared at the ground. _Deep breaths, Nick. _

Cherise was so confused. This was not Nick's life. It had to be a mistake, it just had to.

**"You better remember that. Because this one is even stronger than his father and now he's being embraced and trained by the Dark-Hunters. If we don't turn him, he will be the one who finally destroys us all."**

**And she would be the one to blame for the death of humanity**.

"The end.." Kody said.

Nobody made a grab for the book.

"I think," Ambrose suddenly spoke up, "that we all need a break from the book."

Everyone nodded and slowly parted ways.

Cherise turned to comfort Mennie, who was still hurt.

Kody went to her room in Kyrian's house. She needed to make sure Sraosha knew about all this. She had a few questions to ask him as well.

Kyrian looked at Ash and Nick, who were whispering quietly to each other. Then Nick and Ash walked to the backyard. Kyrian wondered what they were doing, but decided he would get some work done instead of spy on the two lovers.

Caleb had thought about following Nick and Acheron, but thought better of it. If Nick wanted to tell Caleb what happened, he would. But it would kill Caleb.

Ambrose was left staring at Adrian. He hated him. So much. It was clawing at him from the inside.

Meanwhile, Nick and Ash were walking around outside. Nick had his hands tucked into his pockets and head hung low. Ash looked at him the whole time. For a while, the walked silently, but Ash couldn't contain it anymore.

"Nick, look,..."

Hello children! okay so the update is still late but at least i got it to you! Sorry it's late life sucks but this stuff makes me happy.

I left you with a cliffhanger because i suck and im evil. always feel free to talk to me. i'll reply and stuff.

So yeah, see y'all next time which im hoping will be soon, but knowing me..

Love you guys so much! you make my story possible.

P.S. for those of you wondering another person kinda stole my story and posted it. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ONE!


	11. Chapter 11

Kody sat in her room, summoning her master. She knew he had arrived when a heavy aura choked her.

"Nekoda."

"Did you know about the books?" She bit her nails nervously.

"Who do you think told the demon about him?"

Kody stopped her nail biting. He had set this up. Of course he had. Not only would it test Nick and Adrian, but her as well. He wanted to make sure she was still loyal.

"I've learned many things about you, Nekoda." Then he was gone.

Kody threw herself on her bed and screamed. She didn't care if the others heard her and thought she was crazy. She didn't care about anything, but finishing these stupid books.

When she was finally calm enough, she returned to the living room. She felt Adrian's eyes on her. A dark gaze that she was all too familiar with. _Don't let yourself get sucked in again. Don't do it. _

She scanned the room to find Nick and Acheron entering the living from the backyard. Kody's heart clenched when she saw how tightly Nick was holding onto Ash's hand. Ncik also had a giant smile plastered on his face.

_What the hell happened? _

Acheron noted that everyone was staring at them, but he didn't care. He was, to put it simply, happy. Nobody could ruin that for him.

Bubba and Mark stopped whatever nerd argument they were having to stare. Cherise's jaw dropped. Mennie somehow stopped her crying. Kyrian smirked, he had called it. Caleb could only gawk. Adrian, however, grimaced, "Fags."

Before Nick or Acheron could say anything Ambrose jumped in, "Shut your damn mouth."

Ambrose could feel it, his control was slipping. If he were to unleash his powers, it would trigger Adrian and Nick to follow suit. Ambrose couldn't do that to Nick. The kid finally looked happy. _Simmer down. _

Another awkward silence filled the room and this time nobody could so anything about it without starting some fight.

Adrian glared at Ambrose. He had a feeling that Ambrose was the reason he couldn't get out of this hellhole. He wondered what Ambrose really was.

Nick nodded to Ambrose, thanking him for being able to understand what Nick was going through. Nick was certain Ambrose wasn't gay or even bi! And that Nick more confused.

Caleb couldn't hold it back anymore, he had to ask Nick. _Bro! What happened? Explain now!_

_Look, I'll explain later, but for now I'm happy. _Caleb could live with that.. For now.

Nick knew he had to explain a lot of things to a lot of different people. He was not looking forward to that, but if Ash was holding his hand the whole time, Nick didn't see how he couldn't do it.

"I'll read," Caleb volunteered, before Ambrose had the chance to ask.

"Wait! Before you start," Rosa said, suddenly appearing from the kitchen. "Lunch will be ready in an hour."

"For real!?" Nick asked, happily. Ash chuckled at the boy's actions fondly.

"Yes, mijo," Rosa smiled and returned to the kitchen.

"So, Chapter 4 everyone," Caleb began.

Seriously though! what happened with Nick and Ash?! Guess we'll have to wait until lunch time later on.. HA HA sorry im evil guys. But hey! I updated even though its probably crap. As usual please ignore my horrible grammar and/or spelling. well i love you people! comment, favorite, and all that shit! bye!


	12. Chapter 12

**"Welcome home, Nicky!"**

Caleb said in an overly happy voice. He figured everyone needed a little pick-me-up. He didn't care if he was usually the moody and grumpy one, this book was seriously fucking people up.

**Nick opened his eyes to find himself in their crappy living room with Aunt Menyara standing in front of him, holding an actual store-bought chocolate cake with the same happy words written on it that she'd just uttered. He was stunned by the small crowd around her who shouted her words at him.**

"An actual one," Ash mumbled, running his thumb up and down Nick's hand.

Nick couldn't hide the smile from his face. Finally. These past couple days, reading this book, he hadn't felt good, but now he feels great. Who knew that 3 chapters could change your life forever.

**Wow.**

**Petite like his mother, Menyara had smooth chocolate-brown skin that glowed in the flickering candlelight. Her sisterlocks were held back from her beautiful face by a wide yellow scarf she'd tied around her head that trailed down her back, just past her hair. The yellow was mirrored in her peasant blouse that was tucked into a bright orange skirt that fell all the way to her ankles.**

**Skinny silver bangles lined both of her arms and they jingled as she angled the cake for him to see her beautiful handwriting. "It's your favorite, cher. We're so glad you're home."**

Mennie smiled sadly, she glanced at Nick only to find that he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was cast on the hand that was clutching his, lovingly. All she wanted was for him to be happy, she never wanted him to be hurt.

**Nick blushed as his gaze went from her to the rest of the dancers who worked with his mom who'd come over for his party. Even John and Greg, two of the bouncers from the club, were here.**

**They were clapping and smiling at him, making him extremely uncomfortable with the attention as they congratulated him on being a hero.**

Kyrian wondered why he hadn't been invited to that little party. Then he realized he wasn't trusted like he is now. He was part of a family, he realized.

**Funny, he felt more like a fraud.**

Nick frowned, he couldn't wait to get past all this nonsense.

"Not to be rude or anything, but this is kinda boring because Mark and I weren't invited," Bubba said, crossing his arms.

Cherise rolled her eyes. "Bubba, you know exactly why you two weren't invited. You'd try and convince everyone of zombies and vampires. We all know that's not true."

Everyone in that room froze. It was hard to believe she was the only one who hadn't seen the supernatural world. Adrian wished he could show her his true form and see if it excited her like he had imagined so many times.

**Menyara put the cake down on the counter for him. "C'mon, cher, and blow out the candles before they ruin your beautiful cake."**

"Why were there candles?" Kody asked, quietly. She wasn't going to talk this chapter, but curiosity got the best of her.

Nick blushed lightly. "Well.. I never really got a birthday cake back then so whenever we could we'd just celebrate that way."

Kody felt bad for asking after hearing that. Her heart hurt for him. Nick was... he was too easy to love.

**He always loved the lilt of Menyara's Creole accent whenever she spoke. A voodoo priest-ess and midwife, Aunt Mennie, as he called her, was also his godmother and his mother's best friend.**

**She'd been the one who'd brought him into this world and who'd taken his mom in after her parents had tossed her out. When he'd been too young to go to the club with his mom, Mennie had been the one who kept him. For that alone, he'd do anything in the world for her.**

Nick looked over at his Aunt Mennie and gave her a small smile, which she returned. She was family, she had been with Nick since forever. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt him anyway. He hated the fact that he had to explain so many things to everyone.

**"Thanks, everyone," he muttered as he went to the cake and blew out the candles.**

**His mom stood behind him with her hand on his uninjured shoulder. "We're all so proud of you, baby."**

**"That's right." Greg, a huge bear of a man with long brown hair and pockmarked skin, stepped forward to hand him a box. "We took up a collection for you at the club. Hope you like it."**

"I just don't understand, Nick. You meet the biggest people on the planet," Caleb said, eyeing Ash and Kyrian.

"I don't know. I'm pretty tall myself, but the world likes to prove just how small I really am," Nick smiled and shrugged. He felt it was the world's way of showing him to never be intimidated, but he wasn't about to tell Caleb that.

**Their kindness touched him. It felt more like a birthday than a return home from the hospital.**

"Explains the candles on the cake," Kyrian said, with a close mouth smile.

**Ripping the box open, he found a Street Fighter video game and a T-shirt that said: nick gautier. superhero of the day.**

Ash eyed Nick. "Do you still have that shirt?"

Nick blushed and glared at him. "And if I did?"

Ash smirked, this kid. "It's adorable."

Caleb and Kyrian gagged.

Kody stared at the odd.. couple?

Cherise and Mennie's mouths were hanging open.

Adrian crinkled his nose.

Mark and Bubba... didn't really seem to care. "What a line." Bubba stated and Mark agreed.

**Nick didn't have the heart to tell them that he didn't have a gaming system here. Any more than he could tell them that he hadn't been a hero. He'd only been trying to make something right that he'd let go terribly wrong.**

"You could've sold the game," Mark suggested.

"That's rude. It was a gift," Nick frowned at Mark.

**"Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it."**

**Tiffany stepped around Greg and pulled an envelope out of the box. "You forgot this."**

**Nick handed the box to his mom before he took the envelope, but since his left arm was still in a sling, he couldn't open it.**

"The struggle is real," Nick stated, causing Caleb to crack a smile.

**"Here, child." Menyara took it and opened it for him.**

**He gaped as he saw five twenty-dollar bills in her hand. "What's that for?"**

**Tiffany smiled. "Your college fund. We know it's not much, but it'll cover most of the days of work you missed while you were in the hospital."**

**He looked at his mom, who was smiling in gratitude. But he didn't feel grateful. He felt weird about it, especially knowing how hard all of them worked for it. "I can't take this."**

"You can't seem to accept anything! Just take it and shut your mouth, Kid! It's not that complicated!" Adrian was done with this kids kindness and thoughtfulness. It was unnatural for someone like him to be.. lovely.

Nick growled and was about to stand up, but Ash's hand tugged him down. One look at Ash's sunglass-covered eyes and he knew he shouldn't be fighting. He needed to stay calm or who knows what will happen..

Ambrose looked at Adrian with his demon in his eyes. Adrian knew when something was more powerful than him and that was exactly what Ambrose was. Ambrose was too powerful and Adrian needed to go away before he became any weaker.

**John snorted. "Take it. Don't make me have to whip your butt and put you back in the hospital, snotwad."**

"Classic. Snotwad, always a good one," Caleb gave a small smile.

**"Just be grateful for it and don't ever spend it on drugs or cheap women 'cause I know what I'd have done with it at your age and we're all raising you to be better than that."**

"Is being a security guard at a strip club a sort of statement for his renewed life? A sort of test to himself," everyone just stared at Kyrian as if he was crazy. "Well, excuse me for being the smart one around here."

**Nick didn't know what to say. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it."**

**Then someone turned up the music to play Aerosmith's "Walk This Way and the party started even though it was hard to move in their small condo. Then again, the dancers were used to being up on the thin catwalk in the club so they did what they did best and made his face so red with their dance moves that he was sure it glowed neon.**

"You do blush on awful lot, Nicky," Cherise said, lovingly.

"What? No! I'm a man," Nick said, strongly.

Caleb snorted and shook his head. "Stop lying."

Nick pouted and looked to Ash to defend him."Running to someone else to solve your problems isn't very manly," was all Ash said.

**Nick took the money to his jar they kept under the kitchen sink and dropped the twenties inside while his mom and Menyara cut the cake and handed out slices to everyone.**

**"You okay, child?"**

**He nodded as Menyara handed him his cake and a plastic fork. "Just tired."**

**There was something in her gaze that made him wonder if she could read his mind. It was eerie.**

**"Your mom told me that you'll be working for a man named Kyrian Hunter. Is that so?"**

Kyrian smiled proudly.

"Wait, how did you know Mennie?" Nick asked suddenly and that smile fell from Kyrian's face.

"Everyone around here like us knows each other, Nick," Nick knew what Kyrian meant by that. He was vague for the sake of Nick's mom.

**"Yeah. I gotta pay him back for the hospital bills."**

**"Then I want you to watch yourself, Nicholas. This man, he's.." When she didn't finish the sentence, he finished for her.**

**"Evil?"**

Kyrian scoffed. "Evil?"

"You're right, evil isn't the word. You're much too pleasant," Ash smiled, a mischievous glint that you could see through his glasses lit up his eyes.

**She laughed and brushed her hand through his hair. "No, not evil. But working for him will change you, I think. Hopefully for the better. I just wanted to say that you should be very careful with what you learn from others and who you let into your life."**

Ambrose grunted to that. He really should've listened more, maybe it was his demon side that prevented him from doing that.

**Her emotionless tone gave him pause. Mennie knew things, lots of things, before they happened. Her clairvoyance was unrivaled. "Is that your wicked psychic powers talking again?"**

**"Maybe it's my wicked overprotective ways." She kissed him on the brow. "You be a good boy for me, Nicholas. Always."**

"Yeah, good boy," Ash nudged Nick, who tried very hard not to blush because his manhood was on the line.

**"Yeah, okay." He wasn't intending to be a bad one, since the last time he'd done that hadn't gone well for him. As it was, his shoulder was on fire and he had months of painful therapy ahead to get his arm to work right again.**

Nick realized he never had to do that because of Ambrose, thank fucking god. That would've been the biggest pain in the ass ever.

**Believe me, I'm done with this. Next time he saw Alan and group, they were the ones who were going to be limping. ' Cause I'm gonna put my foot so far up their butts they're going to burp shoe leather.**

Cherise scrunched up her nose, "That can't be pleasant."

Nick laughed at his mom, she wasn't a fan of violence.

Adrian stared at Cherise, maybe a bit too openly.

**Or in the case of Nick's cheap shoes, man-made material, whatever that was.**

**He frowned as she stepped away to join his mother and Tiffany. There was something cold in the air that made his neck tingle.**

Nick stared at Ambrose who also looked confused. If it hadn't been Ambrose had it been the author of this book? Was the author of this book in here now? Trying to make a spin off of the characters actually reading the story? How ridiculous.

**Dismissing it, he ate his cake then joined the others, who kept playing old seventies songs. Gah, could we please move the music forward to the correct decade? What is it with old people and their music? Well, at least it wasn't disco.**

"Old people!" Cherise said, glaring at her son.

"I meant them, Ma! You're young, body and heart," Nick flashed her his charming smile.

Kody had to repeatedly remind herself that that smile didn't work on her, but she knew that wasn't true.

**The party didn't last too long, since his mom was afraid of making him too tired. One by one they left until it was just him, his mom, and Mennie.**

**At his mom's urging, Nick headed to his bed while they cleaned up. He was on the verge of falling asleep when his mom disturbed him.**

**"You ready to go back to school tomorrow?"**

"Never," Nick whispered, creepily.

Ash raised his eyebrows at him. "Stop being weird."

Nick stared at him with a hurt expression on his face.

"That face doesn't work on anyone, Nick," Caleb jumped in.

"Yeah, stop trying to look cute," Mark added.

"I just came here to have a good time and now I'm honestly feeling attacked," Nick stated.

**Hardly. He'd really like a few more decades before he had to go back and face the mutant idiots. ...**

**But he didn't tell her that. Man up, Nick, and take it. "I guess so."**

"What is your obsession with being a man?" Kyrian asked.

"The man is suppose to take care of the household and that's what I did. I had to be the man of the house because I didn't have a father to do it," Nick said the last part through gritted teeth.

Adrian thought about killing the kid then and there, but he decided it was much more fun watching the kid suffer over it.

**"Okay, but if you don't feel like it, let me know. You're still healing and I don't want you to do anything to stress yourself."**

**Yeah, but he was already so far behind he wasn't sure if there was a shovel big enough to dig his way out of his back work. Any more days and he'd have to repeat a year.**

_**Kill me first.**_

"I bet Kody would like to," Caleb snorted out.

Kody stiffed. She would not play this game with him or anybody. _Stay calm._

**She brushed the hair back from his forehead before she tested his brow for a fever.**

"A fever?" Ash asked.

"When someone is healing they usually over heat because their bodies are working so hard," Cherise explained in a motherly tone.

**"Mr. Hunter said that he'd have a car waiting to pick you up after school and take you to his house. He promised me that it was just an introduction for you and that he wouldn't make you do anything too hard. You okay with that?"**

**He reverted to his standard answer. "I guess so."**

"You only talk when you want to and when you want to it's non-stop," Caleb exaggerated.

"It's not non-stop," Nick glared at him. "You're on my shit list." Caleb smiled at that.

**She rolled her eyes. "All right then. I'll let you get your rest. You let me know if you need anything. Oh, and I had to put those flowers your friends Bubba and Mark sent to you in the hospital out on the front porch. They didn't really fit in the house. Leave it to them to overdo it."**

**That was one way of saying it. Bubba had practically sent him a tree, with one little note.**

"That's how we do it," Bubba smiled, fist-bumping Mark.

**_Hospitals wig me out unless I'm the one being tended. Sorry we're not there, kid. Get well soon. Remember next time ... Double tap._****_Bubba and Mark._**

**Nick watched as she left and then closed his "door." Rubbing his sore eye, he ignored her talking with Menyara until he heard his name mentioned.**

**"You think this mess will stunt his growth, Mennie?"**

"His growth?" Kyrian pointed at Nick. "He's a pretty good sized kid."

"Well, thank you," Nick winked at Kyrian.

Ash scowled at this. This just wouldn't do.

**Menyara laughed. "No, chere. Your boy's going to be a fine, tall man one day. I promise you."**

**"I don't know. My dad was awfully short. Barely five foot four. I know Nick's taller than that now, but I'm scared to death he's going to stop growing and be a munchkin like me."**

**"That's 'cause you're Cajuns, child. You're supposed to be short. Be weird if you weren't. But Adarian's a tall, handsome man and his boy's going to be just like him in looks. Trust me."**

Adarian (why didn't you guys tell me I was spelling his name wrong?) was actually surprised someone was saying something nice about him. Even if it was just his physical appearance.

**Those words made Nick's blood run cold.**

"I hate that expression," Caleb frowned.

"Why don't you stop being weird?" Nick rolled his eyes at Caleb, adjusting his hand on Ash's hand.

**Adarian Malachai was his father and he was a monster. The mere mention of his name conjured up an image of a giant, hulking beast of a man in prison threads, covered in heavy tattoos. Nick had never seen the man when he hadn't been snarling at everyone around him and shoving people who got near him—including Nick's mom.**

Adarian frowned at that. He never met to push around Cherise. It was just.. in his blood he supposed.

**Angry, bitter, and rude, his father was a rare piece of work and he was glad his mother hadn't married him and given Nick his last name. Even though his Gautier grandparents didn't want anything to do with them, he still preferred having their name to Adarian's.**

**Malachai. Heck, he didn't even like the way it sounded. Bleh.**

Every supernatural creature held back a laugh at that. What a terrible fate that kid had. Stuck forever with that name even if it wasn't really his.

**Nick raised his voice to speak so that they'd hear him. "I'd rather be short, fat, and ugly than take after that man."**

"You're getting there," Caleb laughed as Nick threw his shoe at him, but stopped when Cherise's sandal hit him in the face. Then it was Nick's turn to burst into laughter.

**His mother sighed. "That man is your father and you're supposed to be asleep, young man. Not listening in on our private conversation."**

Nick scowled. He still hated the fact that she use to defend that man, saying he was his "father." He was no father of his and never would be.

**What did she expect when all that separated them was a thin blue blanket? "And you're not supposed to be talking about me where I can hear it. You always told me that was rude."**

**They laughed.**

"Silly child. We are superior than you because we're older," Nick mocked.

**"Go to sleep, Nick."**

**Go to sleep, Nick, he mouthed, mocking an order that was easier said than done. Especially since his pain meds had worn off and his shoulder was throbbing like fire again. But he didn't want to take any more. That stuff made him too groggy and ill feeling. He'd rather hurt than be a zombie.**

"Ahh foreshadowing," Mark sighed.

**Besides, if he acted like a zombie, Bubba might mistake him for a hallucination and shoot him.**

"You lucky I know what zombies are like now, boy," Bubba nodded.

**Rule One: boy: shoot first then ask questions.**

**Rule Two: Double tap just for good measure. Better safe than sorry.**

"I live and breath those rules now. Thanks guys," Caleb nodded his head.

"That's what we do," Mark laughed.

**Nick smiled at Bubba's laws until he looked up at their stained ceiling and wondered just how miserable tomorrow would be at school.**

**Blinking back the agony, he pulled Nekoda's Nintendo out of his front pocket. He didn't know why, but just touching it made him feel better. Like he had someone in the world watching out for him.**

"And she was fucking watching," Nick grumbled lightly.

Ash patted his hand in comfort.

Caleb continued to glare at Kody because she was the source of his best friend's hurt.

**How stupid was that?**

"Pretty," Caleb stated.

"Shit list!" Nick shouted.

**He turned it on and kept the sound off. His mom had no idea he had this. She'd probably flip out if she did and he couldn't really play it with only one hand anyway. Still, he liked the thought of having it. It made him feel special. Like he was connected to someone not related to him.**

**Like a girl might actually like him as something more than just a friend.**

Kody felt tears threatening to spill. She never meant to fall for Nick and now that she has, it was hard hearing his thoughts about her. He was so loving and kind, now he hated her.

Nick honestly couldn't believe how stupid he was. This went on for years too.

**He wanted the courage to ask her to go and just have a beignet with him after school. But so far he hadn't been able to do much more than thank her for checking on him while he'd been in the hospital—which she'd done every time she had a shift. He'd looked forward to each and every one of those visits like a starving beggar getting his one meal a day.**

"Fuck love," Nick stated, throwing his head against the back of the couch.

"Amen to that," Kyrian stated.

**It was hard, man, to get up the courage to ask her something so personal. He didn't want to be rejected and he knew better than to reach for the stars—which was what she was. A bright, perfect star who made him laugh whenever she came near.**

"God, this is sickeningly cute," Caleb scrunched his nose.

"I think it's just sick," Adarian stated, and was surprised when his offspring grunted in agreement.

**And he was a loser.**

"At least you're honest," Caleb laughed.

"Alright, that's it. We're throwing down," Nick stood up, cracking his fingers and neck.

Caleb rolled his eyes, not believing a word Nick said. But was pleasantly surprised when Nick whipped the book out of his hands and grabbed Caleb. Now, it was on like donkey kong.

It was a grappling war. Nick and Caleb almost submitting the other, but somehow they would get away. Everyone else stared in amusement, Mark and Bubba had bet against each other in who would win.

Finally, they both collapsed to the floor, all strength gone.

"I'll get you later," Nick waved his hand, crawling back to his seat next to Ash.

Caleb only nodded in agreement, grabbing the book and catching his breath, he continued.

**Don't put yourself out there unless you want to get shot down. He'd been taken down enough by his classmates; he wasn't about to give Kody the chance to kick his teeth in.**

"Too late," Nick sang.

Kody closed her eyes and focused on breathing.

**At this point, he was lucky she'd even talked to him in the hospital. No doubt tomorrow she'd be just like all the other cool, rich kids and pretend he was invisible.**

_Please, _Nick thought.

**Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity for even considering the thought of asking her out, he shut down the Nintendo and put it back in his pocket. Tomorrow he'd have to face the demon principal and the cretins of his school. To do that, he needed rest.**

**And maybe a flamethrower or two.**

Caleb laughed. "Me."

"How is that 'me'?" Cherise asked.

Nick and Caleb laughed at her, she just didn't understand young people lingo.

"When he says 'me' he means that's what he thinks too. He feels the same," Nick explained with a large smile.

"Oh.. why couldn't he just say that?" Cherise questioned.

"It's easier to say 'me'," Nick shrugged.

"You kids need to speak like proper people," Cherise scowled.

"Yeah, Caleb," Nick laughed and Caleb glared.


	13. Chapter 13

**Nick was finishing up the leftover cake he'd eaten for breakfast when a knock at the door startled him. Since his mom and all of her friends except Menyara worked until dawn, he wasn't used to early morning visitors.**

"Or visitors in general," Nick said.

"Besides the police, of course," Cherise added.

**His mom went to open the door. In this neighborhood, he expected it to be cops wanting to know about something that'd happened while they slept.**

**What was there shocked him to the core of his being.**

Caleb clenched just a tad, but chuckled to himself when he read the next sentence.

**It was Brynna Addams-**

"Oh my god! Run and hide! It's Brynna!" Mark said, sarcastically.

"Shut up! She's rich and we were poor. It was weird having her there," Nick defended himself.

"Of course it was," Ash said, rolling his eyes.

**-dressed in a pretty blue dress and cream sweater. With her dark hair held back from her face by a thin lacy headband, she looked like an absolute angel. One that didn't belong in the run-down crap hole that was their house.**

"See, Mark, if you don't interrupt your questions are answered!"

"See, Mark, if you don't interrupt your questions are answered," Mark mimicked Nick in a high pitched voice.

"Why is everyone trying to get on my shit list today?"

**"Hi, Mrs. Gautier. I'm Brynna—the friend of Nick's from school who's been leaving his assignments at the hospital desk. Since it's his first day back and all, my brother and I wanted to give him a ride ... if that's okay with you?"**

"All the ladies loved Nick," Ash mumbled.

"What can I say? It's something you're born with," Nick winked at Ash, who rolled his eyes.

What a cocky bastard.

**His mother opened and closed her mouth as if she was as stunned by their offer as he was. Turning around, she met his startled gaze. "You know a Brynna?"**

"I didn't even know Nick had friends at the time," Cherise said, honestly.

"Mom!" Nick whined. Everyone laughed at his misery, like always.

"Well, Nicky, can you blame me? You seemed to hate everyone," Cherise shrugged.

"Oh god," Nick sighed.

**Heat exploded across his face, partly because he was embarrassed by their shabby house when he was sure Brynna had never seen anything so run-down in her life and partly because his mother had a weird look on her face that he didn't quite understand while she stood barely dressed in an open doorway. "Um, yeah."**

"Okay, first, the weird look on your face. What was that about? And why are you answering the door barely dressed?" Bubba questioned.

Cherise blushed, lightly. "Well, I thought it was a policeman and I assumed he would respect a woman. And I thought Brynna had a crush on Nick, which I was right about. I thought Nick liked her back because he was so embarrassed.

Adarian hardly listened to her, he was too busy imagining her barely dressed.

**"You want them to take you to school?"**

**"I guess so." His stock answer anytime he was unsure of something.**

"That is your stock answer," Kyrian stated.

"I guess so," Nick shrugged.

"You just did it," Caleb said, wide eyed.

**He picked his backpack up from the floor but before he could shrug it over his uninjured shoulder, Brynna took it from him.**

**"Let me carry it. You're still healing."**

"Hell nah," Bubba said. "Don't tell me your punk ass let her carry your bag."

"Punk ass?" Nick questioned.

**Nick tightened his grip as he pulled it back. "No, thanks. I'm not having a girl carry my stuff. Wouldn't be right." And it would make him look like a mega wimp.**

"Mhm, that's right boy," Bubba squinted his eyes at Nick.

"Why do you guys enjoy bagging on me?" Nick said, sadly.

"It's too easy, little one," Ash said, patting his hand lightly.

"Little one? Excuse me? Not all of us can be 9 feet 7 inches," Nick rolled his eyes, pretending to flip his hair at Ash.

"You're probably the biggest diva I've ever met," Ash laughed.

**He could tell Brynna wanted to argue, but with a nod, she stepped back and let go of his patched and shoddy secondhand bag.**

**His mom moved forward to turn down the collar of the oh so lovely blue Hawaiian shirt he wore—at least this one wasn't so foul it glowed in the dark. "You have a good day, baby."**

**Yeah ... She should have just burped him while she was at it. Anything to shoot down his manhood.**

"It's a hobby," Cherise shrugged.

"Ok! This bagging on Nick fest must end now!" Nick shouted.

When everyone was quiet, he smiled in triumph. He did it. His smile faded when Mark "subtly" coughed "Baby."

**Without a word, he gave her a quick hug since his dignity had already been shattered, then followed Brynna outside to where her brother waited for them in a new black Lexus SUV.**

**He let out a low whistle of appreciation. It was an obscenely nice ride. "You know, a car like that in this neighborhood —people gonna think you're both drug dealers."**

Caleb smirked at that. Drug dealers amused him because they were so cocky and careless, yet they seemed so shocked when they got caught. Criminals these days just didn't have as much brain as they use to.

**Brynna laughed as she opened the door to the front seat and stepped back. Nick ignored her invitation to sit up front and opened the back door.**

"Talk about rude," Kyrian frowned.

"You guys interrupt before the explanation! I'm a good person!" Nick pouted.

**"You don't want to be in the front seat?"**

**He climbed into the backseat and shut the door before he answered. "No offense, I don't know your brother and I don't want anyone thinking anything funny about us. I'm not even sure why you guys are here. How did you know where I live?"**

"Oh yes, because I see two men sitting in a car together and automatically assume they're together," Ash said, sarcastically.

"We've ridden in the same car before, haven't we?" Nick whispered to Acheron, causing him to tense they slightest.

Everyone stared at the odd couple wondering what words had been exchanged. Kody tried to ignore how adorable they were, but she failed and it made her heart hurt.

**Brynna buckled herself in, next to her brother. "Kyrian told us. He's the one who had me drop your homework off while you were in the hospital so you wouldn't fall too far behind."**

**He froze. "Do what?"**

"Stalker much?" Nick looked at Kyrian.

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't a complete mess," Kyrian smiled.

"I'm not a mess! Shut up!" Nick said, frustrated. Someone would die today.

**"Kyrian Hunter?" she said. "Your new boss? He's an old family friend of ours and you'll see us around at his place from time to time. He asked if we could take you to school and watch out for you, so here we are. This is my brother Tad, by the way. Tad, say hi to Nick."**

**"Hi." Tad pulled away from the curb.**

"Friendly," Caleb grumbled.

"Do you not like Tad?" Nick asked, curiously.

"Let's just say we don't agree on certain things," Caleb eyed Nick carefully, who took the hint to back off of the subject.

**Nick finished buckling his seat belt as he glanced back and forth between Brynna, who was turned around in her seat to look at him, and her brother, who ignored them while he navigated morning traffic. Dang, Tad favored her a great deal. He was just taller and hairier.**

"Hairier! Ha! Good one," Mark laughed.

"You have a horrible sense of humor," Bubba frowned, eyeing Mark carefully.

Mark pouted at this.

**Brynna's eyes sparkled with warmth but for all that, she wasn't anywhere near as spectacular to him as Kody was. Brynna was pretty. Kody was sizzling. **

Caleb gagged, which made Kody frown. She couldn't handle this abuse.

**"You're really going to like working for Kyrian. He's a great guy."**

**"If you say so."**

"Surprised you didn't say 'I guess so.' Shrug," Ash mimicked Nick, perfectly which made everyone laugh.

"I'm not like that," Nick frowned.

"Shh. Yes you are," Caleb said.

**She smiled. "So how's your shoulder feeling? You excited to be going back to school? Is your physical therapy really hard? Did you get all the assignments done that I left for you? ****The math was really hard, but if you need a tutor, we can arrange one for you until you catch up."**

**Nick felt assaulted by her barrage of rapidly fired questions and comments. She didn't even give him a chance to respond until the very end. "You always this chatty in the morning?"**

**Tad burst out laughing.**

"Ew, Tad," Caleb scrunched his nose.

"You probably have a crush on him," Nick stared.

"What?!" Caleb asked, a slight blush on his face.

"Aw! I can hook you guys up," Nick winked.

"I'll kill you," Caleb growled.

**Brynna slapped her brother on the arm, her face red. "Stop that."**

**Tad grinned. "Nice to know I'm not the only one your perky morning attitude annoys. I told you it was too much for a man to bear."**

"Ha! Man!" Mark laughed, this time everyone laughed along.

Nick could've strangled Mark, but decided a sneak attack was more fun.

**Nick felt his own cheeks heat again. He hadn't meant to offend her. "I'm not annoyed by you, Brynna." He actually liked her a lot. "I'm just not used to people like you talking to me with this much interest. It's kind of creeping me out. Feel like I've stepped into an alternate reality or something. You keep this up and I'm going to start looking for Raccoon City vans or something."**

"Nerd!" Mark said.

Nick gave him a 'wtf' face. "I played it with you."

Mark stopped laughing and thought about it for a minute, sending Bubba into a fit of laughter.

**Brynna frowned. "Raccoon what?"**

**Tad snorted. "It's from the game Resident Evil, doof." He looked at Nick through the rearview mirror. "You have to forgive her, Nick. She doesn't play much. Just gabs on the phone with all her vacuous, self-absorbed friends."**

**She slid an offended glare to her brother.**

"Tsk tsk," Cherise said, looking at Mennie, who nodded her head in agreement.

"What?" Nick asked.

"You can't seem to talk to girls can you, Nicholas?" Cherise said.

"No, that's why I talk to boys," As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it. _Damn it. _

Ash stiffened up with laughter. This whole 'coming out' thing would be easier than he thought.

**Nick mentally kicked himself. Why did I say that to her?_ I'm such an idiot_. Here he sat in the nicest car he'd ever seen, riding to school with one of the prettiest girls in his class—one who was really decent—and he'd offended her.**

_**I'm never going to have a girlfriend. I'm too stupid for one.**_

"That's why you have me," Ash whispered in Nick's ear, who widened his eyes at the sensation of Ash's breath brushing his skin.

**And if that wasn't bad enough, Tad pulled up to a nice house and honked.**

**Three seconds later, the front door opened and Casey Woods came running out in her full black and gold cheerleader outfit that hugged every curve on her body... and for a fourteen-year-old girl, she had a lot of curves—unlike the rest of their female classmates. Her long wavy dark hair was pulled back from her face with a black and gold bow.**

Ambrose smiled at the memory of Casey as a girlfriend. She was fun, nice, and of course hot. It was a time when he was actually happy in life. He cherished those memories the most.

**A bright smile curled her lips as she ran to them.**

_**Oh, crap...**_

"Yes! Humiliation!" Caleb laughed. These books really were the best.

**She was Brynna's best friend and, up until he'd met Kody, the one girl at school he'd sell his soul to have as his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Casey didn't know he even existed.**

Nick sighed. He would have to deal with her when he went back to school tomorrow. She had been obsessing over him ever since he broke up with Kody and it was kind of annoying. If she wasn't so hot, he probably would have turned her down already. Now, as he squeezed Ash's hand, he knew he had to end her obsessing soon.

**Something brought brutally home as she opened the door to the car and paused with a frown on her beautiful face.**

**Brynna didn't miss a beat. "Morning, Case. You know Nick?**

**Casey turned her head to look at him from the corner of her eyes as if trying to remember him. "Should I?"**

Everyone laughed at Nick, who pouted. "She definitely knows me now," Nick sighed.

"What?" Ash said.

"Didn't you know? She's Nick's little fangirl," Kody hissed.

"No.. He never brought it up," Ash said, carefully, eyeing Nick.

Nick gulped. Shit.

**_Yeah, why should you know me? We only have four classes together_... and he sat directly in front of her in two of them.**

_**I might as well be invisible.**_

"Midas whale," Nick laughed.

**Nick caught the sight of Tad rolling his eyes in the rear view mirror. "We're going to be late, Case. Get in or step back into your yard and close the door."**

**Tad's hostile tone caught him off guard. What magic pill did Tad take to be immune to her looks?**

"The same one I take, but only real men can have one," Caleb smirked.

Nick flipped him off because he couldn't think of anything to say back.

**Glaring at him, Casey shrugged her Prada backpack off and tossed it into the SUV before she climbed in and sat next to Nick.**

_**Why didn't I sit up front with Tad? Why, Lord, why?**_

"That's what I said," Kyrian stated.

"Yes, you're very smart," Ash's voice was dripped with sarcasm.

**Casey scowled at Brynna. "So is he like a new student or something? Does he speak English?"**

Caleb burst out laughing at that. "Does he speak English! You were invisible before me."

"No! Everyone knew who I was. I was the delinquent. The bad boy," Nick pretended to flip up the collar of his shirt.

"Ha!" Ash barked out. "The only thing bad about you was your fashion choice."

**Brynna slid a puzzled stare to Nick. "Nick's been going to school with us for the last three years."**

**"Oh ... well, I'm in all advanced classes."**

"Case is the best," Caleb smirked.

"Why don't you date her then?" Nick snapped.

"Not my type," Caleb only had one type, but she wasn't with him anymore.

**Nick bit back a snort at her snotty comment. _What am I? Special ed?_**

**Then again, at the moment, he felt like this was the short bus to hell and that he had a reserved seat on it.**

**Brynna opened her mouth to say something else, but Nick held his hand up to stop her from correcting Casey's mistaken conclusions about him before Casey made him feel any more worthless. "So, Tad, how 'bout them Saints?"**

Bubba snorted. "The Saints have really gone down hill."

"Sh! Don't jinx it!" Nick shouted, covering his ears.

**Tad laughed at his switch in topic. "You know, Gautier, you might actually grow on me."**

**"Yeah, that's me. Kudzu Gautier."**

"You did not say that," Caleb snorted.

"Oh, but I did," Nick said.

"You're not cool," Mark shook his head.

**Casey didn't get it, but Brynna did. Obviously the tenacious vine must have invaded Brynna's yard and taken it over. "What's kudzu?" Casey asked. **

**Tad ignored her.**

"You should try that, Nick," Ash said, suddenly, causing Nick to cringe.

** "What the-"**

**Nick looked out the window to see a boatload of police cars at the school as they slowed down. There were two ambulances and even a fire truck. "What's going on?"**

"He just got there too, you know?" Caleb pointed out.

"Stop defending your boyfriend," Nick said.

"Unlike you! I'm not gay!" Caleb spat out.

Nick stared at Caleb. He did not just do that.

"Too many fags in the room," Adarian mumbled.

"Shut your fucking mouth for once in your life!" Nick snapped.

They were all having a good time, but of course that had to end.

"Nick, Adarian. Stop. We're family," Cherise said, strongly.

The two men grumbled, but backed down.

Ambrose saw this going south very, very soon.

**Tad shook his head. "Not sure ..."**

**Casey's face lit up. "Does this mean no school? Oh thank God, I didn't finish my social studies homework."**

"This bitch," Mark whispered. Women.

**The police wouldn't let them park in the school lot. Instead, they waved them down the street and away from the crowd. Tad went over to Royal and parked outside of Fifi Ma-honey's. "I've got to know what's going on."**

Typical, Caleb thought.

**Nick concurred. Leaving his backpack in the SUV, he walked over to the school with Tad and the girls.**

**Many of the students were milling around in groups while reporters asked a few of them questions. Brynna and Casey broke off to join their friends.**

**Nick followed Tad-**

"Cos' he has no friends," Ash smiled.

"I had friends!" Nick stated.

**-as he headed over to Ms. Pantall, who was standing with three other teachers.**

**"Hey, Ms. P," Tad called, "what's going on?"**

**She let out a slow breath before she answered. "You won't believe this ... Brian Murrey tried to eat Scott Morgan."**

"That's what happened!" Cherise said, shocked.

"Nick didn't tell you?" Kyrian said, looking at Nick.

Nick shrugged. "It never came up."

**Nick's eyes widened at the unexpected explanation. Had he heard that right?**

**Tad gaped. "What?"**

**She nodded as she gestured toward the school's entrance. "They were in the cafeteria before the bell, acting completely normal, when all of a sudden Brian attacked him for no reason. He started chewing on his arm and tearing at his skin like a rabid dog with a steak. I've never seen anything like it in my life. It was so gross."**

"Oh my word!" Cherise said, grabbing her chest.

"Cher, calm down. The boy is okay, it was a long time ago," Mennie said, comfortingly.

**Tad passed a wide-eyed stare to Nick. "Is Scott all right?"**

**In perfect timing to the question, Scott came out of the school on a stretcher with two EMTs watching over him.**

**Nick drifted away from them so that he could listen in on a few other conversations, including that of a female reporter who was talking on her cell phone. There had to be more to this story than what Pantall was saying to Tad.**

**"I'm telling you, Bob, something's going on. What with the attacks last night and now this****... How many cities have six cannibal attacks in twelve hours?"**

"Cannibals!" Cherise gasped.

"Ma," Nick said. "Everything is cool now. No more cannibals." _Just a bunch of Were people. _

**Well, it was the Big Easy where they had a slack attitude over most things. But even the stoutest New Orleanian usually drew the line at eating human flesh.**

**Most days, anyway.**

"We should move," Caleb scrunched up his nose.

"What about Mardi Gras?" Nick asked, quietly.

"Well.." Caleb smiled.

**Then again, Halloween was just around the corner. If not for the cops, he might think it a prank.**

**"They're questioning the kid now. He seems out of it. Like his brains are rattled or something. But you should have seen the vic's arm. He tore it down to the bone and his classmates said he ate all the flesh like he was starving for it. You think it could be something voodoo related?"**

"Of course," Cherise exhaled. People and all this mystical crap.

**Yeah, anytime something freaky happened, blame the Goth or the voudoun communities—'cause normal people could never be insane. Maybe he should remind the reporter that the infamous serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer hadn't been a voodoo worshiper either and Brian, until this, had been a normal jock like the rest of the team. A little dumber than most, but he was a poster child for normality.**

Caleb snorted. "A little dumber than most."

"Well, it wasn't a lie," Kody added.

"Brian was a little slow," Nick agreed.

**Until he tried to eat Scott...**

**Nick moved away from her, closer to the ambulance where they were loading Scott. There was a white bandage over his arm that was red as more blood seeped through it.**

**Scott was sobbing. "All I did was reach for his milk. He could have just said no. He didn't have to eat my arm... God, I'll never be able to throw a ball again. I'm gonna lose my scholarship, I know it. We'll never make the state championship now. Terry can't throw for squat. ****Man, the season's over. Why? Why did he do this?"**

"Scott still makes me sad," Caleb stated.

"You still talk to Scott?" Nick questioned.

"He use to come to football practice once and a while, but he stopped because he got a job at LSU as a quarterback coach. He's doing pretty good, but he could've gone to the NFL," Caleb explained.

"Man," Kody and Nick breathed.

**That seemed to be the question...**

**"Hey, kid! Get back behind the barricade."**

**Nick nodded to the officer before he obeyed.**

**"Hey, Nick!" Frank McDaniel ran up to him. "Hear what happened? Brian ate Scott. How cool is that? Man, I wish I'd seen it. That's what I get for being late to school. I miss all the good stuff that happens."**

"God, I hate Frank," Caleb said.

"Frank was alright. He was my _friend_," Nick empathized the word 'friend' and stared at his mom, who only chuckled.

**Jason laughed in agreement. "I just hope whatever got into him isn't catching. I don't want no one coming up and trying to gnaw on my flesh or me going after someone else. Sheez. My mom's a vegan. She grounded me for six months last summer when I ate a cheeseburger at McDonald's. Can you imagine how long she'd ground me for eating a person?"**

"You had loser friends," Ash laughed.

"Well, I was a loser." Nick said. "I was sick of the system. I didn't want to hear it. It wasn't a secret that I was just a reject."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Caleb mumbled.

Nick hoped Caleb didn't know about Nick's secret obsession with that 'Reject' song by that stupid band 500 Years of Winter. Those Australians that sang the underwear song.

"Oh! Oh! Nicholas! That's 5 Seconds of Summer!" Caleb laughed.

"How would you know?" Nick squinted his eyes at him.

"All the girls talk about them," Caleb shrugged.

"Oh yeah... Well... IT STARTED ON WEEKEND IN MAY," Nick suddenly shouted.

Caleb really hadn't meant to, but the song was so damn catchy. "I WAS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION NEEDED INTERVENTION!"

"HA!" Nick pointed at Caleb.

"Can we stop this madness?" Kyrian said.

"Please," Ash added.

"Oh! Nick, you listen to this all the time," Cherise smiled.

"Sh, mother," Nick said, calmly.

**Frank cast a hungry look over to the group where Brynna and Casey were standing. "Oh man, if it is catching, I hope Casey Woods gets it and comes for me. If you gotta die, no better way to go than to get eaten by the head cheerleader."**

**Jason high-fived him. "Yeah, all right. Sign me up for that too. I definitely want to be her chew toy."**

"Men," Cherise rolled her eyes.

Adarian knew he was that kind of person. But you could hardly blame him with women like Cherise in the world.

**Nick ignored his friends as he caught sight of his lab partner Madaug St. James, who seemed to be muttering to himself as he stood off to the side of the ambulance. An almost stereotypical nerd, Madaug had a black gamer T-shirt on underneath his blue button-down that had been left open. His dishwater blond hair was cropped short and he had large blue eyes that were always covered with thin-rimmed glasses.**

"Where has that nerd been?" Caleb said.

"I don't know some nerd convention outta town," Nick shrugged.

**Even though Nick knew the name was pronounced "Man-dug," he, like most of the people in his class, usually pronounced it "Mad Dog." But that always irritated Madaug and right now he looked agitated enough.**

**"Hey, dude. You all right?"**

**Madaug froze at his question. "Uh, yeah. It's terrible, isn't it?"**

**"Especially gruesome."**

**Madaug nodded. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."**

"This bitch," Mark said.

"Seriously, can't believe the nerve on kids these days," Bubba shook his head.

Chersie and Mennie shot them a confused look.

**Neither could Nick. "Well, I guess the bright side is you don't have to worry about Scott or Brian picking on you today in gym class, right?" Last time Nick had been in school, Brian had worn Madaug's gym shorts and then forced Madaug into them after he'd sweated all over them.**

**Gross and nasty.**

**Madaug didn't respond to his question as he continued to fret.**

"Nerds, nowadays," Kody sighed, casting a secret glance at Bubba and Mark.

**Out of the crowd, one loud voice suddenly drowned the others out. "I'm telling you people, it's a zombie attack. Z to the O to the M to the B to the I, E. Zombie. Open your eyes, people, before it's too late and he eats someone else. Any of you could be next on the Zombie Apocalypse Menu. Heed my words and stock up on ammo! I got a new shipment coming in today!"**

"Oh, no," Cherise shook her head, placing her hand on her forehead.

"I wonder who that could be," Nick said, sarcastically, as Bubba beamed.

**Nick knew that voice. He just wasn't used to hearing it this early in the day.**

**Big Bubba Burdette, the owner of the Triple B store. ****Wow, and Bubba hadn't burst into flames by getting up this early in the morning. Who knew? He'd have sworn the man was half vampire.**

"You know nothing," Bubba said, mysteriously.

**Standing well over six feet tall, Bubba was an interesting mix of redneck and Goth. Case in point, he had on a Dawn of ****the Dead T-shirt with a red flannel shirt pulled on over it. His baggy jeans were complemented by a nice pair of black Doc Martens that were decorated with red skulls. With short black hair and a goatee, Bubba was terrifying to behold. But the minute he opened his mouth and that thick Southern drawl came out, he looked less like a threat and more like a giant fluffy panda bear.**

"Excuse me!" Bubba said.

"Oh, no you didn't," Mark said.

It's just a description!" Nick said, shrugging.

**At least so long as you didn't interrupt his watching Oprah in the afternoon. Bubba said anyone dumb enough to do that deserved to have his entrails spilled.**

**And that thick drawl made most people underestimate a man whose IQ was off the charts.**

"See, look. Compliments," Nick said. "Bask in them."

**In fact, Bubba had graduated at the top of his class from MIT with degrees in both computer science and robotics. Now, he owned the Triple B—a gun and computer store where you could hire Bubba to hack anything in the world, legal or otherwise, and if that didn't work, he'd shoot it for you just to put it out of your misery.**

**The reporters left Bubba as they tried to interview more students.**

"Now, the story is good," Bubba stated.

"But, I'm not in it yet," Mark said.

"Who cares! It's my time to shine," Bubba said dramatically.

**Bubba spat a bit of his chewing tobacco onto the pavement. "That's right, troglodytes,-"**

"Troglodytes?" Kody asked, quietly.

"A hermit," Bubba shrugged.

"It's his favorite word to confuse people with," Mark said.

**"-ignore the only one who knows what's going on. The only one who knows how to save your putrid, insignificant lives. Go back to your media-induced comas where you believe all the crap spieled by greedy politicians who control you with ill-conceived lies and consumer-driven distractions."**

"That's deep man," Caleb said.

"I know how the world turns. Take notes kids," Bubba said, cracking his knuckles.

**"Aren't those consumer-driven distractions what keep you in business, Bubba?" Nick asked as he approached him.**

"Must you open your mouth all the time," Adarian growled.

"I guess it runs in the family," Nick glared at him.

**Bubba narrowed his dark brown eyes on Nick with disgust. "Don't sass me, Nick. I'm not a morning person and I might take my ill mood out on you."**

"Please do," Caleb said.

**"Yeah, I know. So what are you doing up at this hour, anyway?"**

**"Haven't slept. Got a call from Fingerman at oh dawn thirty telling me there were zombies on the loose and that he needed reinforcement. So I grabbed my gun and we went hunting in the bayou." Normal people might find this conversation odd, but then all conversations with Bubba were odd, and zombie hunting was just another service he offered at his store.**

**"Mark get eaten?"**

"Were you praying for it?" Mark said offended.

"I mean, I could live without the duck pee stench," Nick said, honestly.

**"Nah, the little wuss fell asleep on the way back to the store. He's cuddled up in the front seat like an infant girl, sucking his thumb and holding his jacket tucked under him like a pillow. ****Don't know what I'm going to do with him."**

"Love him forever," Mark said.

Bubba shot him a disgusted look.

**Nick opened his mouth to make another comment when he realized that conversations had stopped. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Turning his head, he saw Brian being led out of the school in handcuffs.**

**Except for the blood marring his Letterman's jacket, he looked normal. Completely. Totally.**

"Ew, Brian," Caleb said.

"Or Brain," Kyrian shrugged.

"Oh my god... Mind blown!" Nick stated, eyes wide with wonder. Ash chuckled at his childishness.

**Normal. Yeah, his skin was a little pale and his eyes sunken like he hadn't slept well. But other than that...**

**No one could tell he'd tried to eat his best friend.**

"You said that there was blood on his Letterman jacket, so I think that would give it away," Kyrian shrugged.

"You are way too into this," Ash shook his head.

**Brian slowed as he neared the captain of the team. Their gazes locked in such a way that it seemed like they were communicating without speaking.**

**The cops shoved him forward.**

**Brian kept his gaze on the captain until he was forced into the police car.**

"Who was the captain anyway?" Caleb asked.

"Why are you looking at me? I wasn't on the team."

**Nick looked at Bubba. "Is it just me or was that weird?"**

**Bubba gave him a droll stare. "Is there any part of this day that hasn't been weird, boy?"**

"Boy, not man," Mark stated.

"Shut up, you're barely a man," Bubba stated.

Nick laughed at the hurt look on Mark's face.

**Good point.**

**"So what do you think caused this?" Nick asked.**

**Bubba scratched his head. "That I'm trying to figure out. Normal zombie attacks—"**

"'Normal,'" Caleb said, using quotes.

**That made Nick wonder what would qualify as an abnormal attack.**

"You and me have always been like this," Caleb said, pointing between himself and Nick with both hands, rapidly.

**"—are done by dead people brought back from their graves. They're under the control of their masters and attack humans to get a taste of blood. But this ... the kid wasn't dead yet. ****Makes no sense to me."**

**"Maybe someone spiked his Wheaties?"**

"Wheaties are gross," Kody scrunched up her nose.

"I prefer Honey Bunches of Oats," Caleb shrugged.

"Lucky charms," Nick said.

"Me too," Ambrose smiled. Nick laughed.

**Bubba shook his head. "Well, there is some chemicals what can give a human zombie-like symptoms. But none of them make a person eat another one. Maybe it's some bio-terrorism test being run by the government. Don't be drinking no tap water or seafood until I do some testing."**

**Nick grinned. "I don't normally drink my seafood, Bubba, but—"**

"Ha, oh I get it," Caleb smiled.

"Good job!" Nick said, sarcastically.

**"Don't get smart with me, Gautier. I still got loaded weapons from last night."**

**Nick opened his mouth to speak, but a hysterical scream silenced him.**

"Finally! He didn't speak!" Mark said.

**"Oh my God! The coach just ate Mr. Peters! Someone help! Help!"**

**The police went running into the school as the secretary came dashing out, screaming in terror and tearing at her hair.**

**Nick froze as those words about Peters seeped into his brain. On the one hand he was horrified the man had been eaten. On the other...**

**He was strangely happy. The sanctimonious pig kind of deserved it.**

"Woohoo!" Caleb and Nick cheered.

**_Nick, that's so wrong._ He heard his mom's voice in his head. Yeah, maybe it was, but he still couldn't help thinking it was some kind of divine payback.**

"Amen to that," Cherise said.

**The police forced the crowd back as the media rushed the school, trying to get photos and footage.**

**Suddenly, the vice principal was outside with a bullhorn. "School is canceled for the day. ****Students go home. We'll be calling later in the day with information. Please ... disperse and leave. Any student found on campus will be suspended. Now go home and don't come back here today."**

"Lucky you," Kyrian shook his head.

"Suuure," Nick said.

**"And hopefully tomorrow too," one of the students shouted.**

**Bubba spat more tobacco out. "It's good to be you today, huh?"**

**"Yeah, as long as I don't get eaten by my football team... Can I come hang in your store and do some research on this?"**

"Research, sure," Kody said.

**Bubba nodded. "Sure, but you've got to open it for me and watch it while I catch some Z's."**

**That sounded fair to Nick. "Let me get my backpack and I'll head straight over." He left Bubba to find Tad, who was standing in a large group of seniors.**

**Intent on their discussion, none of them saw him.**

"Oh no," Caleb said.

Nick nodded his head to continue. His mom would have to find out sooner or later. Might as well be now.

**"I'm telling you, we need to notify the council and the Dark-Hunters. This has Daimon written all over it."**

"Daimon?" Cherise questioned quietly.

"It's a type of demon, Mrs. Guaiter," Kyrian explained.

Cherise shook her head. She was stuck in a house full of loonies because of her son.

**"Not in daylight, it don't. Daimons can't attack until the sun goes down and you know that. ****They'd be toast if they stepped one foot outside right now."**

**"But there were more attacks last night and this is spreading. My money still says it's Daimon related. They're doing something. Mark my words."**

**One of the seniors rolled his eyes. "A Daimon can't convert a human. That's the first lesson we're all taught."**

**"Then what do you think it is? It has to be related to them. ****There's nothing else it could be."**

**Tad narrowed his eyes on his friend Alex Peltier, who'd been silent the whole time. "Can a Were-Hunter bite turn humans into were-beasts?"**

Cherise listened closely. It was actually pretty interesting what they were saying, though she didn't believe in that voodoo nonsense.

**"What's a Were-Hunter?" Nick asked before he could stop himself.**

"Nick, Nick," Bubba shook his head.

**They faced him and clammed up immediately.**

**Russell Jordan, who'd been doing the most talking, curled his lip as if Nick disgusted him. ****"What are you doing here, Trailer Park?"**

"Trailer Park," Cherise said with a scowl, Nick waved it off.

**Tad cleared his throat. "He's working for Kyrian now. Be nice, Russ, or Kyrian won't be happy." He faced Nick. "What can I do for you?"**

"See I do you good, kid," Kyrian smiled.

**"I wanted to get my backpack out of your truck."**

**"I'll be right back," Tad said to his friends before he led Nick away from them.**

**Nick scowled as he followed after Tad. "So what's a Were-Hunter?"**

**"It's a ... a gamer's term. Somebody who hunts animals."**

"Smooth," Caleb rolled his eyes.

**That didn't make any sense and it was a term he'd never heard before. "If it's just a game, why did you ask if they could turn a human?"**

**Tad didn't answer. Instead, he led Nick to his SUV, pulled out his backpack, and then left him there to watch while Tad went back to his friends.**

**_Thanks for all the non-answers_. Tad was going to make a great parent one day.**

"That's rude," Cherise said.

"When do you ever tell me the truth the first time I ask?" Nick said, looking at her dead in the eyes.

She didn't answer him and his point was proven.

**But in the meantime, "Something weird is going on here."**

**Something half the people in his school seemed to know about. And if it was the last thing he did, he was going to find out what this secret was.**

**Even if it killed him.**

"You have a death wish," Kyrian said.

Nick shrugged. "I guess so."

**Most of all, he was going to find out some way to protect himself, 'cause he had no intention of losing what little brain matter he had.**

"True that," Caleb laughed, Nick glared at him.

**New Orleans was definitely getting weird and Nick wasn't about to be added to anyone's menu.**

**Except maybe Nekoda, who was strangely missing from the crowd...**

"Bleh," Nick and Caleb shuddered.

And Ash nodded in agreement.

**Had something grabbed her last night and added her to its menu?**

"I wish.." Nick sighed.

"Well, the end. Lunch?" Caleb said, hurrying to the kitchen to see what Rosa whipped up.

Nick took a deep breath before getting up with Ash. Now was the time they told everyone. Nick wasn't sure how he going to do it, but all you really needed was 5 seconds of bravery, right? At least that's what Tris from Divergent said.

Ash looked at Nick, "Don't worry. I'm here too."

Nick smiled softly at him, "I know."

Ash embraced Nick, who buried his face in Ash's shoulder.

The couple unaware of that Kody was watching with tears streaming down her face. This had made her realize Nick didn't want her anymore and he probably never would. She could come to terms with it, but that didn't mean it would stop hurting.

** -LineBreak-**

**Omg! I updated! The chapter is over and I did it! Next chapter is the whole coming out thing, but Nick and Ash aren't officially a couple because there is still ALOT of stuff. But anyway I did it. School is kicking my ass sorry guys but here you go! ENJOY! Comment and like and favorite or whatever. You guys are awesome! ok BUH BYE!**


	14. Chapter 14

Rosa had made spaghetti and meatballs. It was easy because there was so many of them, but somehow she had manged to make it the best meal known to man. She had made the meatballs from scratch and they were little bites of heaven. She seasoned it just right and the sauce was phenomenal. Rosa also made garlic bread to go with the dish. It was all Nick could handle not to take the woman to his own home.

Caleb agreed. It was one of the best meals he'd had in a long time. He usually cooked for himself which never turned out great, even the school lunch was better than his cooking.

Cherise had stroke up a conversation with Rosa, begging her to teach her how to cook like this.

Mennie nodded along, she was more concerned with Nick at the moment. She couldn't help but stare at her godson as he ate with that giant of man with odd hair. The way they looked at each other reminded her of Lady and the Tramp, except they weren't sharing a bowl of spaghetti. It was adorable how odd the couple really was. Nick was still childish and loud, Acheron was serious and quiet.

Nick was nervous, beyond nervous. He couldn't stop his leg from bouncing up and down. Ash tried his best to come the younger boy down, but it didn't help. He didn't understand how Nick must feel. He had to admit something so personal to his friends and family, Acheron didn't have family to admit anything to.

Caleb watched Nick worriedly from across the table. He knew Nick had to get something off his chest and Caleb had an idea what it was, but it still killed in on the inside. Caleb resumed half-listening to whatever Bubba and Mark were talking about, casting worried glances at Nick.

Kody sat as far away from everyone as she could. These books were bring the worst out in her and she hated that. Sadly, the further she was from Nick, the closer she was to Adarian. She had thought he had forgotten about her, but she was wrong. He smiled wickedly at her when she came within 5 feet of him. Cherise had been kind enough to offer her the seat next to her. Sadly, it was close to Nick.

Nick had finished eating, and as much as he had been stressing, the meal was still extremely enjoyable. Nick glanced at Acheron who was moving a meatball around his plate, scowling at it. "What did the meatball do to you?"

"I'm upset. I want this meatball, but I'm so full," Ash frowned, causing Nick to laugh.

Nick and Mennie sat on the couch in the living nervously. Nick wasn't sure if Mennie would even explain how she got caught up in the Malachai business.

"Split it?"

Ash thought about it for a moment. "Sure." He gave Nick the smaller half and shoved the meaty goodness into his mouth, trying to savor the taste. Now he was beyond stuffed.

"I think I'm going to talk to Mennie first, before we.. you know," Nick said, shyly.

"That's fine. I think she really needs to talk to you too," Ash said, casting a glance at Menyara, who didn't hide the fact that she was staring.

Nick nodded, wiping his hands on his pants. He gave Ash a small smile before getting up. Ash hoped everything would go okay. Or else he didn't know if Nick was going to be up for coming out.

Mennie watched anxiously as Nick made his way to her, staring at his shoes.

"Aunt Mennie, do you want to maybe.. talk?" Nick asked nervously, twiddling his fingers.

Mennie rested her hand on his arm and smiled softly, "Of course, Nicholas."

Everyone watched as the two walked out of the room.

Kyrian used this to smoothly slide into the seat that Nick had vacated. "So, was I right or was I right?"

Ash rolled his eyes before turning to him, "General, when are you ever wrong?"

This caused Kyrian to almost smile with his mouth open.

Nick and Mennie sat on the couch in the living room nervously. Nick wasn't sure if Mennie would even explain how she got caught up in the Malachai business.

"Nicholas," Mennie sighed, grabbing his hand gently. "I never meant for these things to happen. I got involved with the wrong kind of people. I thought your mother could fix your father, but I was wrong..."

Nick tensed in his seat. Mennie was the reason her parents ever came to be. That was an unsettling feeling. "You... You got my parents together?" Nick whispered.

Mennie nodded sadly. "I thought Adarian could change. He really did love your mother, you know? He did and I saw him trying, but he knew it was in his nature. He just gave up. I'm not sure if he does love her anymore."

"Of course he doesn't. He's a monster," Nick spat at her.

"Nicholas," she started softly, "you aren't a monster. He started off a normal boy, but just like you, he found out what he really was. Just because he let the evil consume him, doesn't mean he didn't fight it."

Nick stared at her wide eyed. He never attempted to imagine how his father had gone through it. Nick thought he was just born and raised to be evil. "I'm sorry, Aunt Mennie."

She gave him a small smile. "You had ever right to be angry, Cher. I tried my best with you. I just don't want you to- to-" Aunt Mennie broke off, feeling a wave of emotion take over her.

"I'm trying to be," Nick stated.

Mennie laughed lightly. "I know, chere. I know."

Ash watched Nick walk in with Mennie carefully. He smiled when Nick shot him two thumbs up, as he grabbed another plate of food. "You're still eating?"

Nick scoffed. "Yeah."

Ash rolled his eyes and patted Nick's hand. "Well after you eat, dearest, we have business to attend to."

Nick face heated at the fact Ash called him "dearest", but he knew Ash was right. Everyone was dying to know why Nick and Acheron had been acting weird. Though everyone could assume, they wanted to here it from their lips.

Soon after Nick finished his plate of spaghetti, everyone migrated back to the living room. Nick and Ash were left in the kitchen alone, he watched Nick wash his plate and put it away. Ash rose and stood at the island, waiting for Nick to join him. "I'm not sure how we should go about doing this," Acheron admitted.

"And you think I do?" Nick stated.

"You have gay friends, don't you? How did they.. do it?" Ash asked, awkwardly.

"Well... they just came out and said it. They just looked at me and said 'Nick, I'm gay. Have a good day.' That was it," Nick explained, thoughtfully.

"So we just go out there and blurt it out?" Ash thought that was easier said than done.

"I mean, we aren't official together you know..." Nick stated slowly.

Ash nodded to this, quietly thinking of their walk outside.

_"Look, Nick, we need to talk," Acheron said, over the lump in his throat. _

_Nick nodded sadly, refusing to look at Ash in the eyes. "You know my darkest secret now." _

_"And... I don't care," Nick's head had snapped up at that. Honestly, he thought Ash would be disgusted with him and never want to talk to him again. _

_"Really?" _

_Acheron smiled. "Of course, sooner or later you'll learn my darkest secret and well.. we'll be even." _

_Nick laughed at that. "I was afraid you'd hate me." _

_"I could never hate you," something in Acheron's tone made Nick look at him in the eyes. Nick still couldn't see the swirls in his unique colored eyes, but he knew they were swimming with something Nick never would've thought Ash would look at him with. _

_Ash watched as Nick's face became vulnerable and hesitated. Right now was the perfect moment to tell him. Just do it. _

_"I hope you know that I already know what you want to say," Nick said, smugly. _

_"Excuse me?" _

_"I know you have stirrings for me," Nick smiled. _

_Acheron was taken back. If Nick knew this would be a lot easier for him to do. "So you know that I haven't been able to get your annoying ass out of my head. That I spent these last couple nights haunted by your blue eyes in my dreams. You know that even if you ended the world right now I couldn't careless because you make me feel like nothing bad could happen. If you know this than I'm glad because it made my job easier." _

_Nick stared up at Ash, a blush covering most of his neck and face. He didn't expect Ash to be such a sap, but there he was confessing his feeling for Nick like it did it everyday. There he was making Nick absolutely sure that he felt the same way. "Wow, you haven't made me feel illiterate in a while." _

_Ash laughed at Nick's awkwardness. "Yeah, well, don't expect it to stop anytime soon." _

_They walked in silence for a few moments before Nick quietly admitted, "You know I feel the same way right?" _

_"I know," Ash slowly slipped his hand in Nick's feeling nothing but happiness at the feeling. He also felt Nick beaming up at him and squeezing his hand harder than really necessary._

"Ash?" Nick's voice brought him back.

"Yeah?"

"You blanked out. I just finished saying I think we should sing a 'come out' song. Some Adam Lambert or whatever," Nick flashed him a crooked grin.

"Hell no," Ash rolled his eyes.

"Let's just do it. Ok? Just go out there and make fools of ourselves and wing it," Nick said.

"Well, you're already a fool so it wouldn't hurt," Ash sighed, walking toward the door.

"Finally," Mark said, as he saw Nick and Ash exit the kitchen.

"Look, I- we wanna say something before we start," Nick started, feeling around for Ash's hand.

Ash clutched it tightly in his slightly larger hand. "It's pretty important."

"You're gay for each other," Bubba yawned.

"You guys want to be together," Mark added, looking at his nails.

Nick and Ash stared at the two in shock. They knew they weren't exactly hiding it, but they didn't know they were that obvious. "Um.. well yeah."

"Called it!" Kyrian stated proudly.

"Please! I bet Mennie this would happen after the first chapter," Cherise rolled her eyes at Kyrian, pocketing a twenty.

"I mean, you guys were practically sending heart eye emojis to each other through the whole story," Caleb shrugged.

"Well, we aren't together together yet," Nick said, awkwardly.

"We thought we should finish at least one of the books first before we jumped into anything," Ash said, firmly.

"Well, it's about time you two got it off your chests," Ambrose nodded to them, Nick beaming at his older self.

Kody and Adarian were the only ones not congratulating the oddly cute couple. Kody refused to accept Acheron because he stole Nick from her, even though she messed up their relationship. Adarian didn't care for either of the two. It didn't affect his life.

"I'm glad you're happy, Nicky," Cherise said, softly to her son.

"Thank you guys for making this easy," Nick said, feeling happier than ever.

"Well, we want to get on with the story," Ambrose stated.

"Right! I'll read!" Mark volunteered. "I should come out in this chapter.. Maybe."

Nick laughed, leading Ash to their seats. Nick still held onto Ash's hand tightly, he would probably never let it go now.

"Chapter 5.."

I did it! Ash and Nick came out. The scene outside was revealed. And well. Thanks for reading this and being so patient. and one of the comments said to put Nick, Ash, and Kody in a three way relationship and I laughed super hard at that. I wanna thank my best fan and cool friend for sending me the last chapter. They know who they are and i thanked them already but they deserve a public thank you.

so chapter 5 next. i'll get it to you as soon as possible (so a long time from now) but this story will be finished! promised. if i messed up with any spelling at grammar again ignore it because i suck at that stuff. so bye guys! thanks so much again!


	15. Chapter 15

"Chapter 5..."

**Nick let out a frustrated breath as he tried typing another search. This one-armed crap was for the birds—except they wouldn't be able to fly any better than he could type. And they'd probably crash into a wall and get a concussion ... which would probably hurt a lot.**

**Growling at his shifting ADD thoughts, he tried to focus on what he was doing.**

**Finding info on zombie attacks.**

Cherise scowled at her son's childish way. How could he believe that junk? Hadn't she made her feelings for it clear? It was obviously everyone else in his life putting these thoughts in his head. Bubba was a grown man and look at him! He paraded around the bayou with another grown man looking for impossible things. And Ash! She finds him insane, but he makes her son happy..

**_I am insane._ Since there were no adults around anywhere, he should be searching hot babe sites, not this.**

"HA!" Caleb barked out.

Nick blushed at that horrible thought.

"Tsk, tsk," Ash smiled, stroking his thumb on Nick's hand softly.

**He hissed as he spelled out "chemacil zmobies."**

"I'm not even sure how to pronounce that," Mark said, after making random noises in attempt to pronounce it.

**Gah, how did people manage with one hand? He kept making typos all over the place and reaching across the keyboard was really starting to tick him off.**

"Everything seems to tick you off," Caleb said, observantly.

"You tick me off," Nick stuck his tongue out at Caleb.

**Worse, his pain meds had vaporized in his system and since his school had a strict no-drug policy, including Tylenol or Advil, he hadn't brought more for fear of being strip-searched in Peters's office for it. And if the pain wasn't bad enough, he couldn't find anything online about diseases that would make someone crave human flesh. Well, not unless they were werewolves. Flesh-eating demons. Demonic parasites ...**

**Yeah, right. As if such a thing were possible off a movie screen...**

Nick and Ambrose flinch at those words. Times were so much more simple back then. They didn't have all this crap to worry about. The world wasn't going to end and Nick wouldn't be so awkward.

**He was dying to ask Bubba some questions about his theories, but the man had been explicit: "Wake me up, boy, and I will shoot you dead where you stand."**

Cherise gave Bubba a look that he caught and, if he was being honest, it reminded him of his own mother. That thought scared him.

**Now with most folks, that might be considered an idle threat. But when the person making the threat slept on more weapons than a terrorist training camp and had the temperament of a psycho killer, it was wise to believe he would actually do it and laugh while he gutted you.**

"I am thoroughly enjoying this description," Bubba said, rubbing his hands together and laughing.

**As Bubba so often said: "I got a shotgun and a backhoe and no one looks under a septic tank for a dead body." Which made Nick wonder how many of Bubba's enemies had faces on milk cartons.**

**But that was another story...**

"Can we hear these stories?" Kody asked, quietly. The subject peaked her interest enough for her to speak.

"My lawyers say I shouldn't," Bubba said, examining his nails.

Again, Cherise gave him a strange look and this time Mennie joined her.

**The bell over the door sounded. Sighing in aggravation, Nick left the computer to wander back to the counter to wait on whoever was there.**

**He stopped dead in his tracks, bug-eyed.**

_**Holy...**_

"Demon!" Caleb shouted.

Nick gave Caleb a hard glare. "Why that's ridiculous, Caleb."

Caleb unclenched and gave everyone a sheepish smile. "I don't know. I think I dosed off for a little and was dreaming."

Kyrian shook his head. It was no use for Nick to lie, the truth would come out later.

**Every male hormone in his body fired as he saw what had to be the sexiest chick in New Orleans. A couple of years older than him, she was amazing. The good news was she totally distracted him from his pain.**

"I do not approve of this," Ash said, shaking his head at Nick.

Nick gave him a shy smile and laid his head on Ash's shoulder.

**Decked out in tight black leather pants and a red halter top, she wore a studded black leather collar and bracelets. And a long, studded black leather belt that was wrapped around her narrow waist four times. A huge rhinestone-covered silver cross fell from the belt, banging against her thigh as she walked with a seductive gait he was sure had given a few old men heart attacks from hormonal overload. Her hair was cut short into a black bob. By the opaque color of it, he figured she'd dyed it that way. Her eyes were ringed by thick black eyeliner, giving them a decidedly catlike appearance. Like her eyes, her lips were also jet-black.**

**Normally Goth women didn't do it for him, but this one ...**

"Wait... Hot goth.. Oh god!" Caleb laughed.

"Shut up! Before she opens her mouth, you have no idea!" Nick defended himself.

"You liked the crazy girl!" Kody said in amazement.

"If you're referring to yourself, then yes I _used _to," Nick said, emphasizing "used".

Ash bit back a laugh. That was one of the best things Nick had ever said. Nick was born to say that.

Caleb let out a chuckle, "That was fucking savage."

Nick only shrugged. He didn't care enough to look at Kody's forlorn expression.

**Yeah. She was h-o-t. Best of all, if he made out with her and got that lipstick on his collar his mom would think it was grease. **

Cherise raised her eyebrows at Nick and smiled. "Oh really? Ash, I'm sure you aren't a mechanic so, Nicholas, I will not fall for that."

Ash had never laughed harder. Not only was it funny to hear Cherise say that, but Nick was the brightest shade of red. "No, Ms. Gautier, I am not. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Ash then turned to Nick and winked at him.

Nick pouted at his mom and his... Acheron. "This was like 4 years ago!"

**Something that would definitely keep him from being grounded.**

_**Shame on you, Nick. You're cheating on Kody.**_

Caleb choked on the water he was drinking. "You are a sap, Gauiter."

"There's nothing wrong with that, cher," Mennie defended.

"At least some of us aren't heartless," Nick said, squeezing Ash's hand. This book was definitely going to bug him more than he thought. He was so in love with Kody in all of them and now his heart had been broken. He also had Acheron to worry about. Nick didn't want him to think he still had feeling for Kody. She was nothing to him anymore.

Kody had blushed a deep red and turned to look away. She caught Adarian's gaze and immediately looked away. She didn't want anything to do with him. He had fooled her once and she will not be fooled again.

**Well, not really, since they weren't an item. It couldn't be cheating. Technically. Yet it did kind of feel that way.**

**How flipping weird. _I'm whipped and I'm not even claimed yet. Dang, that sucked._**

"I hate him book," Nick grumbled and Ash gently patted Nick's head.

**She sauntered up to the counter, leaned over it almost spilling her breasts onto the glass top, and looked toward the back room where he'd been. "Where's Bubba?"**

"That's sounds so poetic. 'Spilling her breasts onto the glass top.' It's like you're talking about a waterfall," Mark rambled.

"You're weird," Bubba stated.

**"Sleeping. Can I help you?" He tried his best to keep his eyes on her face and not on what he really, really wanted to look at. **

"Oh Nicholas," Cherise sighed.

"Oh Ma," Nick said, mimicking her.

"Don't sass me boy," Cherise warned, pointing a finger at Nick.

Nick gave her a cheeky face and blew her a kiss.

**That might get him seriously bitch-slapped and since she was wearing spiked rings ...**

**It could really hurt.**

"Oh, it would hurt," Kyrian said, rubbing him jaw thoughtfully.

"We'll take your word for it, General," Ash laughed, obviously knowing what had happened to Kyrian to know this information.

**She popped the gum she was chewing as she gave him an amused once-over. "What about Mark?" **

**"Also asleep."**

**She straightened up. "You new help?"**

**"Just filling in for the morning. They had a late night."**

"That sounds.. wrong," Mark said, scrunching up his nose.

"Why would you say that?! Now, everyone is going to think we did something!" Bubba said, throwing a punch at Mark. Mark squealed and dropped the book when Bubba's fist came in contact with his arm.

Nick raised his eyebrows at the pair, "Did you do something?"

"Boy, if you don't shut your mouth I will clean your clock," Bubba stated, staring Nick down.

"Why is everyone threatening me?" Nick pouted, looking up at Ash.

"You're being weird. Just hush," Ash said, this caused Nick's pout to grow.

**"I'll bet." She shrugged her backpack off, set it on the floor by her feet, and opened it.**

**Nick stood up on his tiptoes-**

"That's manly," Caleb rolled his eyes.

"We'll throw down again," Nick said, letting go of Acheron's hand to crack his knuckles.

Caleb rolled his eyes again, but didn't say a word. He felt a little too full to fight at the moment.

**-so that he could get a better view of her shapely butt as she rooted through her pack. Dang, she was fine...**

Ash let out a whooping laugh at that. "You were a perverted kid, man."

Nick blushed, and smack Acheron on the arm.

_**I could so go for an older woman. ... ****Think of Kody. Think of Kody...**_

Nick growled. He hated any mention of her.

_Think of your mom.. _Death's voice rang in Nick's voice. It caused Nick to simmer down and wonder where the spirit was.

**After a few seconds, she stood up with what appeared to be steel stakes in her hand. "I need Bubba to sharpen these, and tell him that I need a new batch of shurikens. ASAP. Or sooner."**

**Nick's eyes widened as he realized there was blood on one of the stakes. "Should I ask?"**

"You have.. interesting friends," Cherise said, with wide eyes.

Nick let out a nervous laugh.

**"Not if you want to live to eat lunch. Name's Tabitha Devereaux, and you are?" Cool, another great Cajun like him.**

**"Nick Gautier."**

**"Nice meeting you, Nick. Tell Bubba I'll be back at dusk to get those and they better be sharp. I don't want no vampire surviving my attacks to come at me again. Understand?"**

**_Man ... Why were all the sexy women absolutely insane?_**

"That is the story of my life," Mark sighed sadly.

"Well, at least Tabitha didn't burn all my things," Nick laughed at Mark.

**"Yes, ma'am."**

**She picked up the backpack and slung it over one shoulder before cocking her hip in a deadly pose that drained all the blood from his brain. "Where do you go to school?"**

**"St. Richard's."**

**"The school where the coach ate the principal? That's so cool. Wish we'd have something like that at St. Mary's. Unfortunately, I'm the scariest thing there." She winked at him. "Have a good day, kid."**

"She most definitely is. I'm not sure how Madaug's brother can stand her," Caleb said, shaking his head.

"Don't say that. She could hear you," Nick whispered.

**-LineBreak-**

**sorry this updated took so long. ive been lazy with everything so sorry this is a half-ish chapter. i hope you guys enjoy it though. i will finish this eventually. love you guys loads! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hoping there wasn't drool coming out of his mouth, he watched as she went outside to where a black Nighthawk motorcycle waited. Slinging one long leg over it, she started the engine, then put her helmet on.**

**_Ah man ..._**

"That reminds me of Johnny Bravo!" Nick exclaimed, failing at his impression of Johnny Bravo.

"Johnny Who-vo?" Caleb asked, human cartoons weren't his favorite.

"Johnny Bravo! Super buff. White. Giant blonde quiff. Always failed at picking up girls.." Nick trailed off as he saw Caleb's confused expression. Nick turned to Ash, "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Acheron nodded. "Of course. It's a pretty great show. They only show it late at night or early in the morning."

"Sounds stupid," Caleb said.

"You're stupid," Nick pouted. "That's quality TV."

**Nick didn't breathe again until she was gone. Whew... that had been the most awesome experience of his life.**

**_You know Bubba, I need to pay you to work here._**

"I'll consider it. You're there half the time anyway! Might as well make some money out of your annoying presence," Bubba said.

Nick pouted at Bubba's words. "I'm a delight."

**'Cause if women like that came by often, even if they were total head cases, he definitely wanted a job. Forget Liza and her store that was usually frequented by little girls and their moms. He wanted to work in Hot Woman Val-halla until he died of testosterone poisoning.**

Ash barked out a laugh, which made him cover his mouth quickly.

That left Nick blushing, but laughing at Acheron's actions.

"Naughty," Cherise tsked at her son.

**Letting out a low whistle of appreciation, he pulled the stakes off the counter and wondered who or what had bled on them. With Bubba's friends, there was no telling.**

**He put them in one of the plastic bins Bubba used for intake items and left a note with her name and the instructions she'd given him.**

**As he started back to the computer, the door jingled again. Reversing course to return to the counter, he tried not to be frustrated with the interruption.**

**It was Madaug from school.**

"Mad dog!" Caleb whooped out.

"Stop being weird," Nick rolled his eyes.

"You're one to talk."

"Wanna fight, Malphas?"

"Bring it, Gauiter," Caleb said, standing up and stretching his arms.

While Caleb was busy stretching, like a pansy, Nick tackled him to the ground and attempted to put Caleb in an arm bar. Caleb linked his hands on top of Nick's knee and pushed on his knee. Then he bridged his body up to mount Nick, trying to get him into a rear naked choke. The two boys continued like that for minutes until Ash became bored and grabbed them both by their collars, officially ending the grappling match.

"I'll get you later," Nick said, grabbing Ash's hand and sat back down with him.

Caleb scoffed, turning to Kyrian. "This guy."

Kyrian chuckled at the two boys actions. They were so young and carefree.

**"Hey, bud, what's up?"**

**Madaug also leaned over the counter to look into the back room—it just wasn't as cool as when Tabitha had done it. **

"'Cool,'" Caleb said, putting it in quotes.

**Which was probably a good thing from Nick's way of thinking. **

"Oh god, this is gold," Caleb said, laughing loudly.

"Caleb, I'll have to fight you soon," Ash said, Nick knew Ash was only kidding, but Caleb didn't know.

**"Is Bubba around?"**

**"Nah, he's sleeping upstairs. Can I help you with something?"**

**"No, I guess not."**

**Nick noticed the fact that Madaug was really distracted and fidgeting. Like something heavy was on his mind. "You wigged out about what happened at school?"**

"He should be," Kody mumbled under her breath.

"Oh, he was," Nick commented, smiling a bit. Kody pretended that that smile was for her.

**"Wha—no ... not exactly. Well, maybe. Kind of. Look, I really need to get a hold of Bubba when he gets up. It's really important."**

**Nick gently scratched at his injured arm. "Yeah, okay. Want to leave your number and I'll have him call you?"**

**Madaug reached for the pad and pen by the register. He quickly scribbled his number on it, then handed it to Nick. "Please don't forget. It's really important."**

"That boy," Mark said, shaking his head.

"Kids these days. They think they can control other teens and act like there isn't going to be trouble," Bubba added.

Cherise gave the pair an odd look, hoping Mennie would share that look with her, however Mennie only shrugged.

**"You got it."**

**Madaug hesitated before he let go of the paper and stepped back. He cast one last wistful stare to the back room, then left.**

**Okay, the boy was even more insane than Tabitha had been. **

"If only," Caleb sighed.

"She needs help. Any kind of help," Nick agreed.

**Too many sniffs of the form-aldehyde jar in their biology class. His brain must be pickled. Either that or Stone and crew had bashed him against the lockers one time too many and given him a massive head injury.**

**_Whatever..._**

"Never say whatever. That's how people die. Don't you watch movies?" Mark stated.

"How was I suppose to know it was a horror scene?" Nick said, waving his free arm around.

**Nick tucked the note into his pocket and started back for the computer.**

**He'd barely reached it when the door chime rang again. "Son of a ..."**

"God-fearing woman, who he loves so dearly," Nick said, smiling sweetly at his mother.

"What else would it be?" Cherise said, smiling back just as sweetly.

Cherise's sweet smile made Adarian sick, a good kind of sick that he shouldn't feel.

**What now? He growled low in his throat before he headed back to the counter to see who needed Bubba this time. No wonder Bubba was so cranky. If this was a taste of Bubba's typical day, it explained much about the surly redneck.**

"Cranky?" Bubba scoffed, while Mark nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, preach it, brother," Mark said, holding his hand up to the sky.

**Nick paused as he saw three members from his football team walking around the store like they were looking for something. He didn't know their names, but he recognized their faces. Second-stringers like Stone, they were even more aggressive against "nerdy" kids. The kind of pricks Nick spent all of his time avoiding and the kind who slammed poor Madaug into lockers, then laughed about it.**

"I swear, second stringers piss me off. One day I'm really going to let Caleb teach them a lesson," Nick said, shaking his head.

"As if," Caleb crossed his arms, even though he wouldn't mind taking out those pricks. For Madaug, and of course, Nick.

**But the weird thing was they were sniffing the air like dogs chasing prey. It was especially creepy.**

"That pravo theme is really making its way around," Mark said.

"I wish it was pravo," Nick frowned.

**"Can I help you guys?" Nick asked.**

**The tallest, a guy with brown hair and a smile that ought to be used to sell toothpaste, stepped forward. His jacket had the name Biff on it.**

"Hey, McFly!" Nick shouted, imitating Biff from Back to the Future.

"That's a classic," Ambrose smiled a bit.

"Oh, I forgot you were here," Nick shrugged, giving his older self a lopsided grin.

**Nick bit his tongue to keep from baiting him over that name. His parents must have really hated him. ****_I'm here to serve Bubba, not get my butt kicked by oafs._**

**Biff stepped closer. "Nerd boy? Where he?"**

"Mark, are you reading it wrong or does the boy really talk like that?" Cherise said with furrowed eyebrows.

"That's how it's printed, Ms. Gautier," Mark shrugged.

**Okay... sad that they couldn't even form a complete sentence. See what happens when you abuse steroids? **

"Nicholas! What if the boy was mentally ill?" Cherise scowled.

"Oh, he was definitely sick in the head," Nick mumbled under his breath.

**Dudes should have read the warning label. First the penis shrinks, then the sentence structure deteriorates. Next thing you know, you're climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, swatting at planes with your over-sized fists.**

**Granted you'd be there with a seriously attractive blonde, so even being a monster freak had some perks...**

"Is that how you convinced yourself being unattractive was okay?" Caleb said with the straightest face.

Nick had to admit that that was a good one, so he decided he'd let Caleb ravel in that one, merely flipping off the older boy.

**But that was neither here nor there.**

"It's about time you address your weird after thoughts," Kyrian said.

"My weird after thoughts are hilarious!" Nick defended.

"No one is laughing," Bubba gave him a blank stare.

**"You looking for Bubba or Mark?" Nick asked. Nerd definitely applied to either-or since they were the kings of computers, B-movies, video games, and science.**

"Well, excuse you! Some of us are hip, fun people," Mark said, pretending to flip his hair at Nick.

"I don't see them around," Nick stated, looking around the room.

**"Nerd boy!" He grabbed Nick by the shirt and hauled him over the counter to stand in front of him.**

**Cursing as pain shot through his injured arm, Nick slugged him hard across the face, but he didn't seem to even feel it. **

"Or you're weak," Caleb shrugged.

"I only had one arm!" Nick screeched.

**"Let me down, you animal. So help me ..."**

"Put that thing back where it came from or so help me," Ash mumbled under his breath.

"Did you just make a Monsters Inc. reference?" Nick whispered to Ash, grinning.

"Shut up, it's a great movie," Ash said, scowling.

**The jock buried his nose against Nick's neck and inhaled.**

**Nick screwed his face up in distaste. "What are you? A pervert? Get your sick hands off me." He kicked him hard in the groin.**

"Oh, but if Ash does it it's okay?" Caleb asked.

"Okay, Malphas, we're fighting," Ash said, standing. He was obviously much taller than Caleb. Ash was only trying to scare the boy and his plan worked much better than he thought because Caleb began babbling excuses as to why he couldn't fight Ash. Nick wasn't shy about hiding his laugh and that's what Acheron wanted, a happy Nick. "I'm only kidding."

Caleb gave a visible sigh of relief. "Dick move, man."

"Just don't mess with my boyfriend," Ash said, sitting down next to Nick, who was in shock. Boyfriend? He said boyfriend. We're boyfriends!

**-LineBreak- **

**Okay another half ish chapter thing that seems to happy a lot. But i wanted to end it here because I like the supense of the fight and plus BOYFRIENDS! **

**Anyways! I wanted to thank you all like I always do because you're the best people every. I have 91 comments on this story and I'm so grateful. And it'll be 2 years soon since I posted this and maybe i'll have a special surprise for you. like maybe an actual full chapter or 2. **

**But again thank you so much and i'll here from you guys soon! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Biff doubled over. "He smells like nerd boy. Get him!" They moved forward, licking their lips. Oh crap! They were zombies, too.**

"That's it? Just an 'Oh crap.' That's your reaction to zombies?" Mark said, frowning at the book in his hands.

"What was I suppose to do? Scream bloody murder?" Nick asked.

"I just thought you would have a better reaction. Something worth reading," Mark said, dramatically flapping the book in his hands.

**Nick jumped the counter and ran for the back room where Bubba kept an ax... just in case.**

"Nick, these are young boys!" Cherise protested.

"Mom, you have to be open-minded," Nick mumbled, clutching Acheron's hand almost desperately.

"I am being open-minded, Nicholas! I'm letting you hold that young man's hand, who is much older than you are," Cherise snapped at Nick. The flash of hurt that crossed Nick's face almost made Cherise want to take back her words.

"Ms. Guatier!" Ash started, feeling that rising anger in his chest.

"Don't," Ambrose interrupted. Something about his tone made Ash think Ambrose knew more about Cherise than he did, which was probably true. It was almost as if Ambrose had lived this before.

Nick had his head on Ash's shoulder with his eyes closed. He wasn't sure how to explain this to his mom because she was a firm believer that none of what Nick's life was was real. Nick thought the book could change her mind, but it didn't seem like it would happen.

** Bubba had never said what that case was, but this seemed like a really good time to grab it. Not to mention it was the only weapon in the store that Nick could use with one hand.**

**He angled it at the first jock to reach him—this one named Jimmy according to his jacket. "Dude ... back off 'cause I will chop you. Hard."**

Caleb let himself slip a smile as he mind wandered to a dirty place, which turned into a giggle.

Nick's head snapped up, a wicked smile plastered his face. "Dude, you just giggled."

"Shut your mouth!" Caleb said, his cheeks barely turning a faint pink.

Nick laughed at Caleb, actually slapping his knee. "That was manly."

**Jimmy hesitated.**

**Feeling cocky about holding him off so easily, Nick strutted. "Yeah. That's right. You don't want no piece of me. I'm bad ah—"**

**His bravado ended when they attacked en masse. Crappola...**

"Oh, that's manly," Caleb said in a mocking tone.

"Hey, I was fighting. You're sitting there like a little princess," Nick said, nodding toward Caleb's crossed legs.

"Hey, I'm crossing my legs too," Kyrain added, pointing at Nick.

**Hefting the ax, he swung at the first jock to reach him. The ax landed in a case, shattering it. Glass fragments flew all over them as Nick pulled it free for another strike, but before he could angle it at them, Biff bit him in his good arm.**

**He cried out in agony, then head-butted the jock. **

"Where did you learn to fight?" Cherise asked, narrowing her eyes at Nick.

Nick gave out a nervous chuckle, "Um, school."

Cherise let a small growl leave her lips, a small growl that caught Adarian's attention. Something he wished didn't happen.

**He used the top of the ax to shove Biff back into his friends. Then he turned in one graceful arc and cocked his arm for another ax swing.**

**"What in tarnation is going on here?" Bubba snatched the ax from Nick's hand. **

"Nobody says tarnation, ever," Caleb mumbled, never in his thousands of years of life had he ever heard someone say tarnation in real life.

**He angled it at Nick like he was about to use it on him. "Boy, have you lost your ever-loving mind? Tearing up my store. Smashing my things ... You're lucky I'm not beating you with the ax handle."**

"He's lucky I'm not doing that either," Cherise said, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back against the couch cushions.

**Nick gestured to the jocks. "Bubba, they're zombies!" He held his arm up for Bubba to see the blood. "And they're trying to eat me!"**

"Still not a good enough reaction," Mark said, shaking his head.

"Shut your pie hole, Fingerman," Bubba said, suddenly.

**Bubba cursed. "Well, why didn't you say so?" Biff sank his teeth into Bubba's hand—something that was the equivalent of stepping into a den of rattlesnakes. Bubba punched the jock so hard, Nick swore he could feel it.**

**Biff stumbled back as the other two opened their mouths to hiss at them.**

"Nick, these novel is ridiculous! It's fake! It has to be!" Cherise stood up suddenly.

"It's not fake, Cherise," Adarian grumbled.

"Just like you didn't kill those men," Cherise snapped, putting a hand on her hip. Adarian would be lying if he said he didn't like it.

"They weren't men, Ma," Nick stated in a strong voice.

Adarian and Cherise both snapped their head at Nick. How could Nick possibly defend his father? Even Caleb was surprised.

"Listen, we need to move on from this. Ms. Gautier if you could just listen to the rest of the book," Ambrose stepped in once again. Ambrose knew their was going to be a lot of conflict in reading this. He thought it would be his job to settle everything.

Cherise shot Ambrose an all too familiar glare and returned to her seat next to Mennie, who comforted Cherise as soon as she sat down.

"Do you think it will get better?" Nick whispered to Ash.

"I can't see into the future, something won't let me, but I'm hoping it will," Acheron whispered back, giving Nick's hand a little squeeze.

**"Freakin' zombies!" Bubba returned the ax to Nick's hand, then grabbed a shotgun off the wall. He pumped a bullet into the chamber and took aim for the head of the jock closest to him.**

"Oh my goodness! I missed this because I was sleeping! Damn!" Mark said, frustrated.

"Sleep is for the weak," Caleb said seriously.

**The jock's eyes widened as he realized Bubba was about to blow him into his next lifetime. Shrieking, all of them turned and ran out of the store with an inhuman speed and a freaked-out gait.**

**It was like something out of Resident Evil mixed with zombie chimpanzees.**

**Bubba ran toward the door to get a better shot at them.**

"Would your lawyers like that?" Kody asked, her eyes wide.

Bubba stared at her. "They don't need to know everything I do."

**Before he could think better of it, Nick grabbed the shotgun right as Bubba fired. **

Cherise gasped. Nick should not be messing around with someone who has a gun. He had just been shot for Christ's sake.

**The barrel swung wide and instead of hitting the jocks, the shot blasted a huge hole right through the eyes of the picture of Bubba's mama that hung on the wall near the register.**

**Nick stared at the hole in absolute terror. ****_Ah God. I'm so dead_****. Bubba really loved his mama.**

"Mama's boy," Mark coughed, chuckling to himself before yelping when Bubba had knocked the book out of his hands.

"Next time, I whack you in the face," Bubba pointed at Mark.

**And he'd shot her right between the eyes...**

**The look of Satan's wrath on Bubba's face nauseated him. "Bubba ... I'm so sorry."**

"Oh, I like that description a lot," Kyrian mumbled.

Acheron rolled his eyes. "We're aware of your love for literature, general."

"You do want me to order a lot of books," Nick said.

**He stalked Nick like a hunting lion out for dinner. "Not half as sorry as you're gonna be. Make me shoot my mama. Boy, what are you thinking? What the hell's wrong with you?"**

**Nick had to stop retreating as he backed into the wall and had nowhere else to go. He held his hand up to stop Bubba from slaughtering him. "I couldn't let you kill them."**

**"Why ever not?"**

Caleb laughed at that.

"Is that even a question?" Cherise said, her voice rising a few octaves.

Bubba shrugged. "Double tap first. Then ask questions."

Adarian found himself liking that man's philosophy.

**"For one thing it's illegal... hello? You think the police are going to buy it was a zombie attack? I don't think so. And for another they're my classmates. Crappy classmates, but still. I have enough trouble coping at school. I'm pretty sure killing three members of the football team when we're coming up for a championship would ruin my rep forever."**

"Those are your arguments," Caleb gave Nick a drool stare.

"Hey, 14 year old mind set," Nick said, rising his free hand in surrender.

**Bubba snorted. "So what? In case you didn't notice, boy, your classmates are zombified. Had I not come down here when I did, they'd be ripping out your entrails and chowing down. So you ought to be thanking me, not shooting my mama in the head."**

"He didn't actually shoot her in the head," Cherise said, slowly, as if trying to convince herself Nick didn't kill anyone.

"Nah, just my favorite picture of her," Bubba said, throwing a dirty look at Nick.

**Nick swallowed his panic as he realized Bubba wasn't choking him. Yet... "I know. But... they weren't dead. How can they be zombies if they're not dead first? Ain't that the first step?"**

"Oh, logic," Kyrian said.

**Bubba hesitated. "Well, that does pose a dilemma to us technically... But only in the traditional sense of the word."**

**"How do you mean?"**

**Bubba scratched the whiskers on his cheek. "We're assuming their bokor raised—"**

"You know a lot about zombies for a human," Ash said, turning his curious eyes on Bubba.

"You need to know things to survive," Bubba shrugged off the fact that Ash called him human even though Ash was human as well.

**"Their what?" Nick hated whenever Bubba used one of his freaked-out words.**

**"Damn, boy, don't that school of yours teach you anything useful? Bokor. The person who creates and controls a zombie. What rock you been living under not to know that?"**

Cherise couldn't believe Bubba was questioning Nick on what they taught him in school. He was taught essential things of life that would help him have a better future. Not running a gun shop and parading around the bayou like a mad man.

**Some people would probably call that rock "reality," but Nick valued his life enough to keep that sarcasm inside. **

"Woah! Nick has restraint!" Caleb gasped, causing Kyrian to chuckle.

"You've already been warned by my boyfriend," Nick said, glaring at Caleb.

The word 'boyfriend' caused Acheron's heart to flutter. Of course he had been the one to say it first, but hearing Nick say it felt real. It made it seem like it was actually happening. They said they would try and take their relationship slow, but honestly who gave a crap.

**It was hard ... but after shooting Bubba's mama, he needed every advantage.**

**Bubba rolled his eyes before he continued his explanation. "Most times bokors use corpses, but they don't have to. There's been lots of studies of chemical-induced zombies who weren't dead first."**

Although Cherise thought Bubba belonged in an insane asylum, what he was saying was actually interesting. Or maybe it was the way he explained it to Nick that caught her attention. He talked to Nick in a normal way, as if they were discussing the weather. It seemed almost.. normal.

**Maybe that was true. But Nick wasn't buying it. "Yeah, but what if this is like Resident Evil and it's the Mother Virus coming to take all of us out? What then? Huh?"**

"Kids today and their movies and games," Kyrian shook his head. "Back when I was a kid we use to go outside and explore."

"And that was a very, very, _very _long time ago," Nick snickered.

"Hey, don't make fun of old people," Acheron said, shoving Nick.

"Yes, dear," Nick laughed, patting at Ash's hand.

**Nick stared at his bite mark as reality sank in and his panic overtook him. The virus always started with a bite ... Zombie Zero. The first mark who started the apocalypse. And he was the one. **

"Aw, boo. Typical chosen one story," Caleb rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, Malphas. You're just jealous because I am the chosen one," Nick stated, puffing out his chest. "And you're my sidekick."

"I work alone," Caleb glared at Nick.

"Shit, you sound like Mr. Incredible," Nick laughed.

**"Man, first I'm shot, now I'm going to be a friggin' zombie. At this rate, I'll never live to have my first date or a driver's license. Ah, gah! I've come too far to die a pedestrian virgin." **

Caleb burst out laughing, while Cherise and Mennie had scowls on their faces. "You think you're dying and that's what's on your mind!"

Nick gave off a nervous laughter and felt Ash tense next to him. Maybe he thought Nick was just a horn dog because it came to his attention that he did mention a lot of sexual things. However, Acheron surprised Nick when he leaned close to Nick and whispered, "We wouldn't want that now would we?"

** "Bubba, you can't let me die ... I only have seventeen more months and three days to my sixteenth birthday!"**

**Bubba cuffed him on the back of his head. "Man up, boy, and stop with that Hollywood crap. Zombie ain't contagious."**

"I have been lied to for so long," Kody said, touching her heart.

The action caused Nick to let out a small chuckle, it made Kody feel good that he still found her funny.

**"You live in N'awlins, Nick, and I've been fighting them for decades. The only way to become a zombie is to be made one by your bokor." Bubba paused as if another idea occurred to him. "Now demon bites ... that's a different story. But them weren't demons in here. They were zombies. Plain and simple. So stop freaking out before ****_I_**** shoot you."**

"Very interesting. Remind me to go to one of your self-defense classes," Kyrian said, pointing at Bubba.

"Just so you know it's a $20 admission fee," Bubba stated.

"No it's-" Nick started.

"Shut your damn mouth, boy," Bubba said through his teeth.

**Nick took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "Are you sure I can't catch it?" He couldn't even believe he was asking that. This had to be the most bizarre conversation of his entire life, which, given the usual weirdness of Menyara, was saying a lot.**

"Aw, Nicholas, you are too kind," Mennie laughed.

"I know. I'm like the perfect package," Nick beamed, causing Acheron to let out a fond chuckle, Caleb to gag, and Kody to feel a small ache in her heart.

**"I'm positive. Believe me, I know my zombies."**

**Nick scoffed. Is it just me or is that like saying I know my elves and fairies? If it wasn't for the fact Bubba might kill him, he'd say that out loud.**

"Your attitude is unbelievable," Mark laughed.

**"I still think we ought to disinfect the bites. Just in case it's some military-designed bioweapon."**

"No more TV for you," Cherise scolded lightly.

**"Disinfect what? What did I miss?"**

**Nick turned to see Mark entering the store. Yawning and scratching, he joined them from the door that led to Bubba's upstairs apartment where he'd been asleep on Bubba's couch.**

**Nick sighed in agitation. "See what you miss by sleeping late? Me and Bubba got bitten by zombies."**

"I'd still rather sleep," Caleb admitted.

Mark pointed at Caleb. "See my man gets me."

"That's my man," Nick scowled. "Wait, shit. That's not what I meant."

Ash cracked a smile at Nick's awkwardness and Caleb pulled a disgusted face.

"Ew, Nick, you have cooties," Caleb gagged.

**"I say they're contagious. This morning only one of the kids in my school had it. Now, I just got attacked by three more. It's spreading and it's going to infect us all. We need to do something before it takes out all the good-looking women and leaves us with only each other."**

"Man, Nick, you use to be so straight," Caleb laughed.

"I don't even like boys, just Ash," Nick admitted.

"Ash-sexual," Caleb added.

**"Call out the National Guard or the CBC or something."**

**Bubba scowled at him. "The CBC? Is that one of those new anime people?"**

"Such a nerd," Ash said, fondly patting Nick's hand.

Nick scoffed and rolled his eyes, but never denied it.

**Nick rolled his eyes. "No. It's that place where they talk about diseases and quarantine people when they're contagious."**

**"Bubba, Nick means the CDC in Atlanta."**

**Bubba made a sound of disgust that originated in the back of his throat.**

**Mark, who was barely a head taller than Nick, was still dressed in his zombie-hunting gillie suit. Fluffs of Spanish moss jutted out from all the places where he'd tucked it in his clothes so that he'd blend in with the bayou. His face was streaked with camouflage paint and he wore yellow-colored contact lenses that had a rim of red around them. Zombie eyes. Also for camouflage. **

Cherise narrowed her eyes. Nick didn't seem fazed by Mark's odd choices of fashion. She didn't control as much of Nick's life as she thought. She couldn't save him from the superstitious world of New Orleans.

**But that wasn't the worst of it. As he stopped next to Nick, there was an odor so foul it took his breath.**

**Nick covered his nose to keep from being sick over it. "What is that smell?" It was like three-day-old cat vomit mixed with rotten asparagus.**

**Mark scowled at him as if he was crazy for even asking. "Duck urine. It keeps the zombies from thinking I'm human."**

**Nick snorted. "Yeah, well it keeps me from thinking you're sane."**

Caleb clapped his hands together, then pointed at Nick. "Nice one. Excellent timing."

"I have my moments," Nick nodded.

**"Give it up, Mark. The boy don't know nothing about surviving. He actually kept me from shooting zombies who were in the store trying to eat him."**

**Mark cuffed Nick on the back of his head. "Are you out of your mind, kid?"**

Cherise couldn't believe Mark and Bubba. They were so backwards and so unorthodox. They saw the world so much more different than her. Come to think of it everyone in Nick's life saw things weird and different. It actually made Nick a better person to see the world through so many people's point of view.

Adarian hated to admit it, but he liked how those two guys lived their lives. It was simple and effective.

**"Ow!" Nick rubbed the back of his head where they kept slapping him. If they didn't stop, he was going to get brain damage. **

"I mean.." Caleb started.

"Suck it, Malphas," Nick stuck his tongue out.

Caleb had a wicked smile on his face from all the dirty thoughts running through his mind, but he didn't feel like fighting Nick or Acheron at the moment.

**"And no. I was keeping Bubba from committing a felony. No offense, but 'he's a zombie, Your Honor, don't electrocute me' isn't a viable excuse. Believe me, I know. My dad's doing three life sentences 'cause he killed, and I quote, 'a crap load of demons who were trying to kill me and if I hadn't killed them, Your Honor, they'd have taken over the city and enslaved all you petty, pathetic humans.' The court's not real understanding of that excuse. They wouldn't even let my dad plead insanity because of it. So trust me, 'zombies needed killing' isn't a legit defense."**

Kyrian sat in silence letting Nick's rant soak in. That was a huge burden for a kid to carry on his shoulders. Knowing you're destined to be evil. Knowing it's already affected your father. It was something he probably couldn't live with.

**Mark shook his head in supreme annoyance. "Well, it ought to be."**

Adarian snorted in agreement.

Mark was just happy Adarian wasn't trying to kill him.

**"Hey, Bubba? You in here or are you dead?"**

**Nick cringed as he heard the newcomers.**

**Bubba handed the gun to Mark and whispered to the two of them. "It's Officer Davis. Don't say anything."**

**Clearing his throat, he ambled toward the counter up front as if nothing had happened.**

Cherise gasped and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Bubba and Mark a disapproving glance.

**Nick hid the gun behind a curtain, amazed by how well Bubba could act. He slid his gaze to Mark, who was finally peeling off his camo suit. Seven years older than Nick, he had shaggy, light brown hair and bright green eyes. His features leaned toward pretty, except for his squared jawline.**

Mark sputtered. "Pretty?! How about rugged, handsome, strong?"

"More pretty," Cherise and Mennie agreed.

Mark turned his wide eyes to Bubba. "Don't look at me. You're plain ugly."

Nick laughed at that.

** He also had three days' growth of beard on his face, which made him look a lot older. But it was his build that Nick envied. No matter how much he worked out, he just couldn't get the kind of muscle definition that Mark had without even trying. It was so unfair.**

"Well that's better than pretty," Mark grumbled and Nick rolled his eyes.

**"Can I see your bite wound?" Mark asked.**

**"Could you bathe first?" Mark glared at him. Sighing, Nick held his arm out so that Mark could inspect it.**

Caleb gave a small smile. "That was also a good one. Quick and to the point."

**He let out a low whistle as he touched the vicious bite, which was still throbbing. "Yeah, we might want to disinfect this."**

**Nick cringed. "It's going to turn me into a zombie, isn't it?"**

**"I don't know about that, but the human mouth is the germiest part of the body. You might get parvo or rabies or something."**

**Nick scowled at that unexpected response. "Isn't parvo a dog disease?"**

"Too much parvo," Caleb groaned.

"You seem to be obsessed with it," Kyrian observed.

"It's because he is a dog," Nick heard Death say in his head. He had started to wonder where that spirit had gone. More than likely collecting souls.

**"Yeah, but who knows what's happening in your school, kid. Could be loup-garous on the loose and that, my friend, is definitely contagious."**

**Nick jerked his arm back. "I'm not going to turn into a werewolf, Mark."**

**"Go ahead and mock, but I'm telling you, I've seen them down in the bayou. Many a night. A whole pack of them that shifted into humans. Walking in daylight, they could be right next to you and you wouldn't know it."**

Nick bit back a laugh. If only Mark knew that Nick was very close with that pack. He actually considered them family. Mark would have a heart attack.

**It took all of Nick's self-control not to belittle him for that load of horse manure. He wasn't sure what was more pathetic, the fact that Mark was comfortable enough with him to talk about it or that his friend actually believed it. Deciding on the latter, he let Mark lead him to the bathroom, where Bubba kept alcohol and peroxide.**

"Well your pretty friend is fucking offended," Mark said, glaring at Nick.

**As Mark cleaned and wrapped the bite, Nick ground his teeth against the pain of the stinging alcohol. "Man, I look like a total goob with both arms wrapped."**

**"Nah, man, they're war wounds. Chicks dig scars. Means you're a manly man able to protect them."**

"See! _Man!" _Nick said, patting his chest.

"Of course," Ash said mockingly.

**Nick lifted one disbelieving eyebrow. "Then why don't you and Bubba have girlfriends?"**

**"I don't want the drama of it. After the last one burnt up all my clothes with my Jack Daniel's Black Label collection and tried to decapitate me with my CDs, I decided I'd take a hiatus for a bit. As for Bubba ... I better not talk about that. Let's just say I don't think he wants to go through that again."**

**Nick wanted more clarification. "Go through what?"**

That peaked Kody's interest. Besides Cherise, Nick, and Caleb Kody didn't know much about the people in Nick's life. It was like a soap opera from her.

**"That ain't none of your business," Bubba said as he joined them. He narrowed his gaze on Mark. "You should learn to be quiet sometimes."**

**"Yeah, well, I always say that marriage is fine for others, but remember that it only leads to one thing."**

**Nick grinned. "Lots of naked party time?"**

**"Nah, kid. Alimony." Mark stepped back to put away the alcohol.**

"Nick the horn dog," Acheron laughed, squeezing Nick's cheek.

**Wow. They were both rays of sunshine that broke through the darkest cloud ... In hell.**

"I like that," Kyrian mumbled, sinking into his seat a little.

**Nick turned to Bubba. "So what did the police say?"**

**"That if any more of my neighbors report a gunshot over here, they'd yank my business license and throw me under the jail for it. Nosy biddy bodies."**

**Nick scowled. "Isn't that busybodies?"**

**Bubba gave him a droll stare. "Have you seen Ms. Thomas next door? That's the ugliest witch on the planet. I swear she's a Gorgon."**

"Aren't those the aliens from Zathura?" Caleb asked.

"What the fuck man. Those are Zorgons. Get your life together," Nick sighed.

"Excuse me for actually having a life and not just watching TV," Caleb said, holding his hands up in defense.

"I am your life," Nick mumbled, loud enough for Caleb to hear and agree silently.

**"A what?" Nick asked with a frown.**

**Bubba snorted at him. "Get your head out of comic books and read some Greek mythology. Gorgons ... women who were so ugly just looking at one could turn a man into stone."**

Ash already knew that. They were women that the children would see in the streets and run scared to their parents. Acheron had always found them fascinating and when one walked by all he would do is bow his head in respect and slight fear that he would turn to stone. In return they would sometimes leave treats at Acheron's feet.

**"Ahh ... in my high school that'd be my English teacher, Ms. Richard. She's such a snotty jerk, I swear she thinks the school's named after her."**

Caleb and Kody hummed in agreement. Hopefully she retired soon.

**Bubba didn't say anything as he started picking up glass from the shattered counter. "So why were the zombies here, anyway?"**

**"They said they were after..." Nick's voice faded off as he put everything together. Madaug freaking out. Nerd boy...**

**Holy dog snot. **

"Now that is a good curse word," Cherise laughed.

**He looked up at Bubba. "Madaug St. James. You know him?"**

**"Geeky little kid who reminds me a lot of Mark?"**

**"Hey!" Mark said indignantly.**

"A less muscular Mark," Caleb said absent mindlessly.

"Well thank you," Mark said, flexing his arms.

**Bubba ignored him. "What about it?"**

**"He said it was imperative that he talk to you. He'd just left when the jocks came in, looking for him."**

**Mark shot a glance to Bubba. "You think he has something to do with this?"**

**Nick dug the number out of his pocket. "I don't know. But I'm beginning to think that's a real good start." And the more he thought about it, the more sure he was.**

"Ah nerds," Caleb sighed.

**Madaug had to be behind this. Nothing else made sense. And if he was and Nick turned into a zombie because of him, brains were going to be spilled.**

"Good one, Nick. Ha Ha," Caleb said sarcastically.

Nick turned to Ash and pointed at Caleb. "Fight him now please."

Ash just chuckled at Nick.

** Lots of them and Madaug was the first person on his list. (Not that he had a list because that would get him thrown out of school and probably jailed—but should said hypothetical list exist, not saying that it did currently, or would in the future, Madaug was definitely target number one.)**

"Nick's ADD is very enjoyable," Kyrian stated, chuckling a bit.

"It's more of a ramble," Caleb added.

"I find it endearing," Ash smiled, causing Nick to slightly blush.

"He has done it ever since he was a little boy and spoke about everything he passed by," Cherise smiled.

"Oh, remember when he-" Nick cut off Mennie.

"Please don't. No. No stories of little Nick," Nick groaned.

"Well it's only about 8. Think he can squeeze in one last chapter," Ambrose asked.

"Why the hell now." Nick grinned and Adarian groaned.

"I can read," Bubba volunteered.

"Chapter 6..."

**-PageBreak- **

**I finished the chapter! Are you guys proud of me?! Now since it is almost 2 years since i posted this story i think a gift is needed. I will try my hardest to post the next chapter in full. not half ish chapters. a FULL one! i'll try really really hard! and guess what else!? I HIT 100 REVIEWS! thank you guys so much for showing your support and love. I love you guys very much. I hope you guys stick around for a long time. best wishes. SEE YOU SOON!**


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